Gaiden, The Darkened Soul
by potentialauthor18
Summary: Gaiden is the son of a powerful demon. He grew up alone after his mom was killed, by his father, and has now sworn revenge. His plans change drastically as he meets a girl named Flair. Besides giving him some much needed companionship, she also leads him to the Super Smash Brothers Tournament, a place where all the strongest fighters converge. Hell is coming. Get out of the way.R
1. Chapter 1: Gaiden, Meet Flair

**This is a story about Gaiden, my SSBB OC for the after mentioned game. There has only been one vague mention of him in Ruby1996's story so far. I have decided to start with my story that focuses around him. Enjoy. I will post his bio on my profile for those who want to know more about him. **

Chapter 1: Gaiden, Meet Flair.

It was a dark night and a strong wind blew through the park, dust rolling in great waves across the ground. Gaiden reclined in a tree, reading a romance novel. He was just starting to enjoy himself when he heard someone running underneath him, screaming for help. "Help, please somebody help me!" a young girl with red hair dashed underneath his perch. Gaiden watched calmly as a large man followed behind her, a knife in one of his beefy hands. He was very large and had a blonde buzz cut. Sighing, Gaiden fished a book mark out of his cloak and tucked the book away. Why couldn't the man have chased the girl some other way? He stood on the branch and in a flash he vaulted from tree to tree until he had passed the screaming girl.

He considered the drop below him then lightly stepped off. The girl, how surprising, tripped and gasped as her ankle twisted into an unnatural position. She tentatively reached out to touch it and flinched in pain on contact. The man chasing her, seeing her lying on the ground, laughed and began to close in on her. The girl screamed as he reached her. "P-please, just leave me alone!"

The man raised the knife above his head, ready to stab her. The blade came down and the girl closed her eyes tightly, tears seeping through. She heard the man grunt in surprise and hesitantly opened her eyes. She caught her breath as what appeared to be a young boy stood above her, one hand holding the man's wrist with apparently little effort. He was wearing a black cloak that hid most of his body save his arms, legs, and head. His arms were bare except for bandages wrapped around the wrist and blacks, finger less gloves on his hands. He wore black, smooth pants with more bandages wrapped around his ankles. He wore black, steel toed boots that looked pretty heavy but didn't seem to slow his movements. She wondered if he had been hurt often. The girl thought this because she could see yet more bandages, wrapped tightly around his throat. His hair was as black as the night around them and many spikes poked out in different directions. Strangest of all was a ponytail, braided and hanging past his shoulders.

Gaiden eyed the man with a bored expression. "Now would be the time for you to leave, otherwise I can't be held responsible for what will happen to you." He said confidently, his tone unmistakably meaning this as a command.

The man strained his muscles, trying to stab the boy, but to no avail. Was this kid a body builder or something? He put on a cocky face, not knowing his danger. "Oh really? Just what are ya gonna do if I don't?"

Gaiden's eyes narrowed. He was about to respond when the man's other hand smacked into his side. Gaiden gasped. The girl cried out as she saw the blow hit home. The man had a set of brass knuckles on his fingers. The thug grinned and brought his hand back for another blow. He yelled out loud as he struck forward, aiming for the same spot. He was quite surprised when his fist connected with air. He stumbled and fell, landing in front of the startled girl. "What the hell?" he said to himself. He stood up and looked to his left and right. _Where did that boy go?_ Someone coughed behind him and he twisted around, the knife flying towards the sound. The sound of metal on metal reached his ears just as a jarring sensation coursed up his arm, almost numbing it.

Gaiden watched the man's face twist in pain as his knife collided with Gaiden's sword. The small katana was diminutive, by sword standards, but this did little to hamper Gaiden. He could kill this man with a pebble. "Surprised?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. He continued without waiting for an answer. "Yes, I can tell that you are. That blow, if it even deserves the term, was so weak that I gasped in surprise. I had left you an opening in hopes you could score a decent hit. I was mistaken." The man jumped backwards, his eyes bulging in fright.

"What the hell are you? Your no boy!" he yelled, spit flying from his mouth. Gaiden dodged the projectile and gave the man a distasteful look. "Hell…that's exactly where I came from." He cocked his head at the man's shocked expression. "I think I've wasted enough time as you are clearly not worth it." The man barely had time to blink as Gaiden's katana streaked upwards. A spray of blood erupted from the man's chest and he fell without a sound.

Gaiden swung his sword again, flinging the blood off of the blade, and then sheathed it inside his cloak. He walked over to trembling girl and began to examine her ankle. She mumbled a bit but offered no resistance. He looked up at her and cocked an eyebrow. "What was that?" She pointed shakily at the prone form of the man. "Did you kill him?"

Gaiden didn't even glance at the body. "Yep." His eyes fixed on her ankle. He didn't even sound sorry. The girl took a breath then asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Are you going to kill me?"

Gaiden looked her in the eyes, contemplating. "If I wanted you dead I would've let him do it, I don't kill the helpless." He grabbed her ankle in a firm grip and continued to meet her gaze. "You twisted your ankle, I'm going to fix it but it may hurt a bit." He tore a strip from his cloak and handed it to her. "Bite down on this."

She quickly obeyed. With a single deft movement, he snapped her ankle back into place. She cried out, the sound muffled through the cloth. He reached out and gingerly took the cloth from her mouth. He slowly helped her to her feet. She noticed that she was actually taller than him. Gaiden pretended not to notice her amused expression. "Can you walk? "He asked her sharply. She attempted a step, but stumbled. He caught her in his arms, as if she weighed nothing. "Guess not." Without warning he streaked off, still carrying her. The wind tore her breath away and blew her hair around. She held on tightly to Gaiden, not wanting to slip out.

Gaiden shut his eyes as her hair blew around his face. He came to an abrupt stop and set her down momentarily. "Why have we stopped?" she asked. Gaiden didn't answer. He pulled out the strip that he tore from his cloak and used it to tie her hair into a ponytail. "Better." He said, and then scooped her up again. He blasted through the park, kicking up dust in his wake. They reached a fence that was at least ten feet high. The girl was about to suggest that they slow down but before she could voice her opinion, Gaiden jumped clear over the fence without even slowing down. Butterfly's filled her stomach from the sudden change in height. Within seconds they reached the hospital. Slowing down to a jog, Gaiden entered through the automatic doors and calmly walked up to the counter.

The receptionist looked up from her magazine as the door alarm went off. She was a portly woman with black skin and brown hair. She wore too much lipstick but presented a motherly figure. Her eyes widened in shock as a kid walked in, a red headed girl in his arms. "Can I help you?" she asked uncertainly. Gaiden set the girl on one of the waiting rooms couches. "No, but this girl might." The receptionist nodded and pulled out a clipboard. "May I have your names?" The girl nodded. "Flair Castle." She said quietly.

"Gaiden." He said as she looked questionably at him.

"Last name?" she asked sweetly.

Gaiden's features revealed nothing. "Just Gaiden."

The lady shrugged her shoulders and wrote their names on the paper. "Okay and how do you know the young lady?"

Gaiden shook his head, his braided ponytail swinging slightly behind him. "I don't. I found her lying in the park. I believe that she had been attacked but got away before hurting her ankle."

The lady nodded as she wrote down the information. "You're such a good soul to help a girl in need." She said it sincerely but didn't look up from her clipboard. Flair was watching Gaiden intently, and thought she saw sadness flicker across his features. It was almost instantly covered up by a blank expression but she was sure that she'd seen it.

"No, I'm not." Gaiden said quietly.

"What was that dear?" The receptionist asked, looking up from her clipboard.

"Nothing." He went over and sat by Flair as the portly lady walked off in search of a doctor.

He completely ignored her and would have continued doing so, except for the fact that Flair was curious. "So…are you going to tell what exactly you are?" she eyed him as if he might sprout a horns or something. "You're not exactly human are you?" He seemed to consider her question but didn't supply an answer.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything!?" she asked desperately.

Gaiden gave her a dark look. "What makes you think that you have any right to question me? I rescued you so technically you owe me, not the other way around." He turned away from her.

Flair wondered whether or not she should press on and decided that he probably wouldn't go through the trouble of hurting her, seeing as he did save her. Knowing that he would just ignore further questions she decided that going on the offensive might work best. "You know, I bet the police would like to know what happened when they find that man's body."

Gaiden glanced at her. "Humph, so what?" he said.

She took a deep breath, hoping this didn't backfire. "So, if I happened to call them, I bet they would sure appreciate a tip on who the murderer is." Gaiden's eyes widened at her boldness. This girl had more spirit than he gave her credit for.

Not that the threat of police would bother him in the least. He had spent his years fighting entities that were many times more powerful. But the fact that this girl was standing up to him, even after seeing him kill somebody (not that he was trying) intrigued him. Standing up, he looked her straight in the eyes. She stared right back at him, gaze unwavering. He allowed a sigh to escape his lips and closed his eyes. It had been a while since he'd actually talked to anybody. Anybody that was still alive anyways. "If you really want to know more, then meet me tomorrow at the park." He quickly opened his eyes, gauging her reaction.

She seemed shocked for a second, frightened the next, but determination was the prevailing feature he saw in her eyes. "Good see you then!" she said happily. Gaiden looked down a hallway as the receptionist came walking back, talking to an older doctor who was checking his own clipboard. Flair followed his gaze then looked back after seeing them. She gasped when she noticed that Gaiden was gone. "Where did he go?" she asked herself quietly. She scratched her head, wondering. Her hand brushed the clothe that held her hair in a ponytail and she smiled. It doesn't matter if he's gone now. She was going to see him tomorrow.

**I know that this doesn't seem like a SSBB story yet, but it will be. The next chapter, at least, will consist of them getting to know each other. By now you should notice that my story will have a darker feeling to it than some. There will also be strong language, but on a reasonable level. Hopefully, me writing this story will allow me to show Ruby1996 a little more about Gaiden and therefore make the story easier to write. **


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Better Aquainted

**I didn't expect to post the second chapter so quickly but here it is. I already knew what I wanted to do and so had little trouble writing it. Here it goes.**

Chapter 2: Getting Better Acquainted

Flair woke up the next day in her bed, wondering if it had all been a dream. She rubbed her head, trying to throw off the sleepiness. Her hand brushed the strip of cloth tied in her hair. She remembered; Gaiden had saved her from that man, Gaiden had run her to the hospital, and Gaiden wanted to meet her today. She recalled the events of that night after she left hospital. The hospital had been quite surprised when she paid for her treatment up front. Flair parents had been what every parent whished for their children; a doctor and a lawyer. Her father had been a professional defense attorney who had a reputation for charging whatever price the client could afford and still be well off. He got plenty of business this way, of course. Her mom had been a very successful neurologist and, naturally, made plenty of money. They had believed in living simply and, in Flair's mind, borderline Spartan. They had constantly told her their reasons for their lifestyle. By living in mediocrity, and making plenty of money to support it, they never had to stress over bills or overages. They also saved plenty of money for Flair's college.

Unfortunately, they had both been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Flair had been in the backseat, only ten years old. They were on their way home from grocery shopping one night when they were stopped by a train. It was in the country so they could see that the train went on for miles. Resigning themselves to waiting, they turned the car off to save gas. After ten minutes the train showed no sign of stopping, so they asked Flair to get the box of doughnuts out of the trunk. They had bought them at Flair's insistence. They popped the trunk while Flair hurried out, eager to dig into the doughy treats. The doughnuts were buried farther than she thought so it took her a while to find them. She had just gotten her hands on the box when her father yelled at her. "FLAIR GET OFF THE ROAD!" he bellowed. He had just glanced at the review mirror, noticing the truck speeding towards them. The truck driver had accidentally turned off his lights due to his intoxication. Flair barely had time to dive out of the way as the truck slammed into the trunk, its brakes now squealing, and pushed the car into the speeding train.

Flair remembered what happened after that. She had been sent to live with her closest living relative, her Uncle Patt. He really didn't care in the least what she did, as long as she helped supply his drinking money. She felt like she was betraying her parents by doing this but the alternative was being stuck in the house, since Patt never left except for work, and doing every single chore that needed doing. She had a check card that was connected to her account so she would sometimes spend a few nights in a hotel, therefore forcing Patt to do the housework or risk drowning in paper plates and beer cans.

She quickly got clean and dressed, ready to learn more about this strange guy. She was up and out of the house by nine in the morning. Patt usually got up around three, thanks to his hangovers. Walking across the street towards the park, Flair decided to get herself a sub. After paying for her meal she walked away but felt that someone was watching her. Looking behind her, her heart began to beat with rapidly increasing intensity. She saw a large man with a blonde crew cut standing across the street from her. He was smiling. He licked his lips and Flair was pretty sure he didn't want her sandwich. She quickened her pace and headed for the park. When Flair got to the park she deliberately avoided the spot where she was attacked. Maybe she was just seeing things, or maybe the man was a ghost coming to haunt her.

Sitting down on a bench, she pulled out a sub and nervously waited for Gaiden. She didn't know if he'd be able to find her, but if she sat her long enough, surely he'd show up? After finishing the first half of her sub she wrapped up the remaining half and set it beside her. She'd save it for later.

Hours passed until something finally happened. She had been expecting Gaiden to just suddenly appear with no warning. She wasn't disappointed. Getting hungry, she reached over without looking to finish her sub. Her hand scraped the bench. Getting annoyed she scrabbled around until her hand found something else, something covered in fabric and warm to the touch.

She turned to see what she had grabbed and found out that her hand was on Gaiden's lap. She jumped, drawing her hand back at the same time, and let out a surprised scream. "Looking for something?" Gaiden asked her, nonchalantly munching on the remaining half of her sandwich.

Her face took on a reddish hue as the meaning of his words hit home. "Why did you do that? You could've given me a heart attack!" she yelled at him. She thought he'd been the blonde guy, coming back to finish what he started.

His expression didn't change. "Actually, I think I saved you from one, this sandwich is remarkably unhealthy." He continued to take bites out of the diminishing sub.

Getting a grip on herself she slowly relaxed. "Okay now that your here, can you please explain what you are?" She didn't know if she should tell him about the guy he saw, thinking that he'd call her crazy or scared.

Gaiden polished off the sub and threw the wrapper into the trash can on the other side of the bench without looking. It bounced off the rim twice before falling inside. "To put it simply, I'm half demon and half human." Flair looked at him unbelievably.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really." He calmly said back.

She looked down at him, trying to guess whether he was just messing with her. Matching her gaze, his eyes smoldered up with purple fire for a brief moment. She didn't jerk back but leaned forward, fascinated. Gaiden may have struck a threatening figure, but his height kind of opposed that image. "Then why are you so short?" she asked. She gasped and put her hands over her mouth, she'd been thinking out loud.

Gaiden glared at her. "I may be short but that doesn't mean anything. In case you're wondering I'm five foot even. Got a problem with that?"

Flair waved her hands in front of her hurriedly. "No, no problem here! Just dandy."

Flair sat down and thought about her next question. "How old are you and please don't tell me that your centuries older than me."

Most people would have to smile at that, but not Gaiden. "By your years, I am eighteen years old." He said.

Flair gasped and once again, spoke her mind unwittingly. "But you look like your fourteen or even younger!" Once again she regretted her words.

A vein pulsed on his head as Gaiden restrained his anger. "By the way you talk I would have guessed that you were a toddler who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut." A ghost of a smile showed itself briefly. "Except for your developments."

"What did you say!?" Flair screamed at him. She attempted to slap him but he dodged it easily. "I come here in the early morning, wait for hours, see a freaking ghost, and you want to make fun of me?"

Gaiden blinked in surprise. "Did you say a ghost? Explain."

Flair calmed down and sat on the bench. "On the way here, I think I saw the guy that you killed last night." She cringed. "He licked his lips when he saw me, it was disgusting."

Gaiden sighed. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

Flair looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't want to look frightened of something that probably wasn't there."

Gaiden shook his head. "No, it was there all right." His eyes narrowed and he began to glance around. "It's probably here by now."

"What's here by now?" she asked, and then screamed as the big, blonde man emerged from the woods. He had a big grin on his face and looked pretty good for someone who had been dead twelve hours ago.

Gaiden stepped in front of her and regarded the man calmly. "The demon."

**Sorry to leave you hanging but I didn't have enough time to write as much as I wanted. The next chapter will involve the fight and will also lead to the Super Smash Brothers Tournament. Please tell me what you guys think so far. Later. **


	3. Chapter 3: For Today's Lesson, Demons

**Sorry that I left you guys on a cliff hanger, but I was pressed for time. Without further ado, let's get back to the story. **

Chapter 3:For Today's Lesson, Demons

Now that he was in the open, Flair was without a doubt that this was the same man that had tried to kill her last night. "H-how is he still alive!?" she asked Gaiden, who didn't really seem the least bit surprised.

"Depends what you mean by alive. I killed his body, but his soul became a demon. That's what happens to evil souls when the body dies." The man began to chuckle.

"Yeah, I don't know how you know all that but you're right." His face darkened and his body began to glow a sickly green light. "I'm a demon." With that, the man grew by five more feet and his skin became the color of blood. A pair of horns grew from his head and spikes erupted from his joints. A tail lashed behind him, a deadly point on the end. His head was the last thing to change, his eyes turned yellow and his mouth grew large enough to bite her head off with a set of large fangs to complete the vulgar transformation.

Flair was trying to hide behind Gaiden, who still hadn't moved, but was unsuccessful considering their height differences. Gaiden glanced behind him and then focused on the demon. Meeting the demons hungry gaze he held his hand out. "So do you have something for me?" he asked, one finger making a 'come on' gesture.

Flair stared at him. "What do you mean 'have something for you'?" she pointed at the demons teeth. "I think it's pretty freaking obvious that he wants to eat us!"

Gaiden snapped his fingers impatiently, ignoring Flair's outburst. "Hand it over, I know that someone turned you into a demon so quickly because they had use of a messenger."

To Flair's surprise, the demon pulled a folded piece of paper out from behind its back. "In fact, I do. It's a message from someone who knows you." It made no move to hand the paper over. "But they said you can't have it if I kill you." Puffing up its chest and flexing its claws it laughed. "And I'm way stronger now than when I was a human!" It lunged for Gaiden, who disappeared in a flash.

Gaiden stood a good distance behind the demon, the paper in one hand and Flair held over his other shoulder. "Super Smash Brothers Tournament?" he asked, reading the paper. Flair saw the demon start to creep behind him, its mouth agape with a long purple tongue tasting the air. "Gaiden, its coming!" She yelled.

The demon lunged again, heading right for Flair. Without turning around, Gaiden tossed Flair high into the air and drew his sword. Flair's screams became faint as she flew higher. Gaiden swung around and slashed at the demon with his sword, the blade trailing purple and black flames. The burning steel connected with the demons left shoulder and didn't stop. The demon keened in pain, a sound akin to nails scraping on a chalkboard. Its severed arm hit the ground just as Flair fell back to earth and landed in Gaiden's outstretched arm. "Something else you should know about demons, their strength depends on how evil they were in their previous life. You're just a street punk, hardly worth my time, even in your demon form."

Gaiden's eyes began to glow with a purple hue, flames sparking inside. "I think it's time to cut you back down to size!" settling into a crouch, black and purple flames sprang up around him. He pushed off and blasted towards the wounded demon. The flames that danced around his sword grew with greater intensity, completely covering the shiny steel. The sword flew up from below and engulfed the demon. This time the demon was cut completely in half, its halves fading away into smoke as they fell to the ground. Gaiden sheathed his sword, the flames extinguishing as he did so.

Pulling out the paper, he began to read it again.

_Dear Son,_

_ I know that you have been growing restless, killing worthless demons that barely test your abilities, but I have found a place that might interest you. I guess you could say that I'm sending you to summer camp, in a sense. I do hope that the other campers will provide a suitable workout for you. I'm sure you appreciate what I'm doing for you, paying your way and all that. By the way, you might want to bring your little girlfriend with you. Who knows what horrible things might happen to her if she's left on her own? Directions and tickets are on the back._

_ With Royal Salutations,_

_ Dad_

Flair leaned over his shoulder to try and read the letter. Gaiden turned it over as she did. Reading the directions on the back, he folded the paper up and stuffed it into his cloak. "Ever heard of the Super Smash Brothers Tournament?" he asked.

Flair's eyes widened. "Who hasn't?" she cried.

Gaiden stared at her. "Me." He said.

She blinked a couple of times, in surprise. "It's only the most watched tournament ever! Fighters from all kind of universes come to one place, the Smash Brothers Mansion, to duke it out for all to see."

She began to count off names on her fingers. "There's Link, Ike, Marth, Snake, Pit, Red, and tons of others!" she yelled, looking excited. Gaiden looked less than enthusiastic.

"Are any of them strong?" he asked her.

Flair nodded vigorously. "They're the strongest fighters ever! Most of them are heroes who have saved their world plenty of times." She grew a little more serious. "Although some of them are also the bad guys who cause all the problems."

Gaiden at last seemed a little interested. "Well, if they're as strong as you say, then I think we should head there now." He began to walk away but stopped, noticing that she wasn't moving. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Flair was dumbstruck. "Are you saying that **we** are going to the Smash Tournament?"

Gaiden nodded, thinking that she was overreacting. "Yep." He tapped his shoulders. "Hop on."

Even though he'd already given her a ride before, Flair was slightly hesitant about him giving her a piggyback ride. He was a bit short. Sensing her hesitation, Gaiden mistook it for fear. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. It'll just be faster this way."

Blushing, Flair walked up behind him put her arms around his neck. He picked up her legs and put them around his waist. The fact that she was wearing a skirt and was so close to him didn't seem to have any effect on his features. "Hold on tight." He said.

Flair nodded. "Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" she screamed as Gaiden flew forward. It took them only ten minutes to reach the train that went to the Smash Mansion.

The train looked pretty ordinary for a train that could travel through different worlds. In fact, it was almost boring. Except for its passengers. The conductor had seen plenty of different people, but he was not expecting a short, black haired boy carrying a redheaded girl on his back. "Tickets please?" he asked uncertainly. He'd only made the mistake of judging the people on his train once. This had resulted in him being covered with tiny, plant like beings called pikmin. He'd lost his moustache that day. It still hadn't grown back.

The girl slid of the boys back as he rummaged around in his cloak. Without a word he located them and handed the rainbow colored tickets to the conductor. He scanned the tickets, proving their authenticity, and looked back up to wish them a good day. When he looked up, the girl was the only one standing there. Looking back in the train he barely saw that the boy slip into a booth and slide the door shut. The girl slid pass him and smile apologetically. "Sorry, he does that." She walked up to the booth and, after only a moment's hesitation, entered herself.

Sitting down across from Gaiden, Flair put her hands in her lap. Gaiden had his book out but glanced up at her, feeling her excitement. "If you want to talk about this tournament, go ahead."

She smiled and began to go on and on about the different fighters and stages that were at the tournament. Gaiden pretended to listen for a few seconds then went back to his book. She was still chatting away, not noticing his lack of attention. This continued until they finally made it to Smash Mansion.

The conductor sounded the train whistle as they pulled aside the massive building. "Here we are folks, Smash Mansion."

Gaiden stepped by without a word. Flair followed, again apologizing. "Sorry about him, but it was really a great train ride. Thanks!" the conductor smiled and waved them on. "No thanks necessary."

With that he climbed back into the train, blew the whistle once more, and steamed off. Flair gazed up at the huge structure before them. "Man that thing's huge!" She glanced at Gaiden with a sly grin on her face. "Makes you feel small, doesn't it?"

Gaiden glared at her. "Don't push it."

Walking up to the immense doors, Gaiden looked up at the knocker. It was too far up for him to reach conveniently. Grumbling, he motioned for Flair to do the honors. She leaned down beside him and put a hand to her ear. "What was that?"

Gaiden sighed. "Could you please reach up and use the knocker, I can't reach." Flair laughed as Gaiden's eyes took on a deadly look. Reaching up she could barely grab the knocker. It was obviously made for bigger people. With a heave she pulled it back as far as she could and then let it go. A loud boom accompanied it.

The doors swung inwards and in their place stood, well floated, two giant white hands. One of them seemed kind of twitchy. The regular one swept around, as if performing a bow, and spoke. "Hello, my name in Master Hand and this is my brother Crazy Hand." The twitching hand reached out and grabbed Gaiden's whole arm. "Nice to meet'cha buddy!" it said, swinging Gaiden up and down. Flair suppressed a giggle.

After Crazy Hand set Gaiden back to earth, Master Hand motioned shooed them inside and then closed the massive doors behind them. "Welcome, to the Smash Mansion!" he said, his hand sweeping about. The place was truly immense. On the sides were two staircases that hugged the walls in a slight curve. They met above to become a balcony and Flair could see great hallway behind it. Below the archway was a long table that could easily feed a small city block. Pots of strange flowers were scattered about. More than likely vegetation from different worlds. A huge chandelier hung above the table, swinging to and fro. Looked safe enough.

Gaiden didn't seem interested in the architecture. Tapping Master Hand on the hand he asked "When do I fight?"

Crazy Hand came up behind and patted him on the shoulder, which involved patting almost all of Gaiden. "Woo somebodies ready to go!" Master Hand calmly pushed Crazy Hand off of Gaiden.

"For starters, we are going to simply put you in a one on one match. Just to keep things simple there will be no items except the smash ball."

Flair looked excited but Gaiden looked bored. "Just make sure my opponent is worth my time."

Master Hand gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, all of our fighters are the best there is."

Gaiden wasn't convinced. "Doubtful."

A roar echoed through the hallway and a large shape jumped from the balcony onto the floor. It looked like a large mutant turtle; with spikes on its back, horns, and red hair. "You think you're too good to be here punk!?" it yelled at Gaiden. "Unfortunately for you, your first fight will be against me! Bowser! Scourge of the Mushroom Kingdom!" He glared down at Gaiden in triumph.

Gaiden calmly met his gaze. "Am I supposed to be intimidated?"

"Keep talking; just wait until the brawl begins!" Bowser growled.

Purple fire flared in Gaiden's eyes and he seemed to grow taller with malice. "I hope your right Bowser! Make sure you don't disappoint me!" Bowser unconsciously took a step backwards. This kid didn't look quite so harmless anymore.

**This was kind of a long chapter, but once I got writing I couldn't stop. The next chapter will of course consist of Gaiden's fight against Bowser. Please tell me what you think of the story so far. Later. **


	4. Chapter 4: The Bigger They Are

**Taking all bets, taking all bets! Giant Mutant Turtle vs. Demon/Human Kid with a Sword? Okay, let's get to it! **

Chapter 4: The Bigger They Are

Flair watched in anticipation as Gaiden climbed into the teleporter that would take him to his initiation brawl. Even though Gaiden was undoubtedly strong, she knew that Bowser was a seasoned competitor. He knew what he was doing while Gaiden was practically going in blind. As the bright light flared up around Gaiden, Flair couldn't help yelling some encouragement before he began his fight. "Be careful Gaiden! Bowser isn't just strong, he's also clever, so don't fall for any of his tricks!" Gaiden inclined his head, acknowledging her. Then he was gone.

When he materialized, Gaiden quickly surveyed his surroundings. There wasn't much to it. He was standing on a bridge made of stone and he could see a castle in the distance. Bowser appeared on the other side of the stage, grinning. "You ready to lose, boy?" he growled.

Gaiden drew his sword without a word. Bowser roared deafeningly and charged toward the motionless youth. He raised one clawed hand and slash downwards. Gaiden took one step forward and the next second he was behind Bowser, his sword held outwards. Bowser cursed as a cut appeared on his side. "You'll pay for that runt!" he yelled, whirling around. Gaiden was nowhere to be seen. "Hey." his voice sounded above.

Bowser looked up just as Gaiden's foot slammed into his face. "How do you plan to make me pay if you can't even hit me?" he asked, being completely serious, as if expecting an answer.

Bowser stood up and rubbed his bruised nose. With a roar he tore his hand away, flames shooting from his mouth. Gaiden jumped back, avoiding the flames. Settling into a crouch, Gaiden became wreathed in purple and black flames. His sword slashed forth, a flourish of fire it seemed to Bowser. Bowser clutched his shoulder yelping in pain. "Ahh! What in hell was that?"

Gaiden flicked his sword, dousing the remaining flames. He shook his head. "**From** Hell, Bowser." The giant turtle growled uneasily.

Then he laughed, his pitch rising and falling. "Next thing you'll say is that your daddy dearest is the devil!"

Gaiden's eyes began to glow with violet flames. He flew towards Bowser and struck out with his sword. Bowser threw up an arm, catching the blade on his metal cuff. He heaved his arm upwards with a grunt, sending Gaiden's sword spinning into the air. "Nice try…Oomph!" he gasped as Gaiden's boot connected with his side. The dark haired youth got in close and began to deliver a blindingly fast combination to Bowser's midsection. Left hook, right uppercut, left elbow. Bowser leaned down as Gaiden relented…or so it seemed. Gaiden squatted down to the ground the pushed off forcefully. His right knee connected with Bowser's chin and sent them both skywards.

Gaiden kicked himself away from Bowser and put his right hand over his shoulder. His black katana fell blade first, passing in between his fingers. He grasped the hilt as it passed and then began to drop, the sword erupting in deathly flames. Bowser's eyes widened as the burning blade came forth, heat pouring off of it. With a yell he was flung towards earth and hit the ground with a loud thump. Gaiden landed beside him and reached out with one hand. He hauled Bowser to his knees and glared at him, one of his eyes hidden in shadow. "You don't know how right you are, turtle demon." Gaiden drew a knee to his chest and kicked out, thrusting Bowser away from him.

Bowser slid towards the tunnel and threw down a paw to stop himself. His claws drew gouges in the great bridge and slowed to a stop. He gasped as something floated behind Gaiden. _The Smash Ball!_ He had to keep Gaiden's attention off of it, he had a feeling that he didn't want to see this kid's Final Smash. "I don't know what you did to get as strong as you are, but I have a feeling it wasn't nice."

He pointed at Gaiden with a claw, watching the Smash Ball bob behind him. "I bet you made a deal with the devil! That's where your strength comes from and that's why you got aggressive when I mentioned him!"

Gaiden sighed. "You're not far off." He said quietly.

Bowser grinned evilly. "If that's so, then you should think about being one of the bad guys." He cocked an eyebrow. "Or maybe you already are?"

Gaiden was about to answer but something caught his eye. A glowing orb shined in front of him, shimmering with a color. "What is this thing?"

Bowser almost cursed but caught himself. The kid didn't even know what it was! If he acted nervous then Gaiden would at least know that it was dangerous. Wait, acting. Bowser chuckled at him, nonchalantly gesturing at the Smash Ball. "Only the most dangerous item there is. The Smash Ball gives whoever touches it the power to beat their opponent in one blow!" he grinned. The idiot would hit the ball and send it right into Bowser's waiting arms. This kid didn't know how it worked.

Gaiden made no move to grab the ball. "So you say that this thing will make the user stronger?"

Bowser nodded. "Yeah, all you got to do is hit it."

Gaiden took a step away. "No."

Bowser scratched his head. "No what?"

Gaiden shook his head. "No, I am not going to use this ball. If it makes me more powerful then there will be no point in this battle." He pointed his sword at Bowser. "Come over here and grab it."

Bowser's feet took a few steps forward, and then stopped. "Really?"

Gaiden nodded impatiently. "Yes! Take the thing and then maybe you'll be worth fighting for however long it last." Bowser trudged forward, stunned.

_Okay kid I was wrong about you being ignorant, you are the single most idiotic person in existence! _ His great claws wrapped around the Smash Ball and crushed it. He threw his arms out and laughed. "Bwahahahahaha! I can't believe you! Foolish boy, now witness my Final Smash!"

Gaiden took a step back as Bowser began to grow, and grow, and grow. Giga Bowser looked down at the kid and chuckled. "AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE PUNY BEFORE." He flung a huge paw at Gaiden and sent him flying. Following up, he brought both hands down in a crushing blow. Dust flew upwards as his fists connected.

Reaching down, Giga Bowser brought up Gaiden, one fist wrapped tightly around him. "STARTING TO WISH THAT YOU HADN'T GIVEN THAT SMASH BALL TO ME?" he growled.

Flair watched the fight on the screen, horrified at the scene before her. _Why hadn't she told Gaiden about the Smash Ball? It was the most important item there was._ She grabbed up a remote and used it to zoom up on Gaiden's downturned head. His eyes were covered by his hair and his teeth were bared in pain. _Wait, no, not in pain._ Flair leaned in. _He was smiling!_

Bowser looked down as the figure in his hand began to convulse. "DID I SEND YOU INTO SHOCK!? SORRY ABOUT THAT!" He blinked in surprise as laughter reached his ears. "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" he yelled.

Gaiden looked up at him. His smile had shrunken to a slight grin, but he was obviously happy. "So you finally decided to start fighting serious?" Bowser began to growl, but his growl morphed into a strangled shout. Purple and black flames danced around Gaiden, burning his hand. Gaiden dropped to the ground as Bowser released him, beating at the flames with his other hand. "You said something about me going into shock!?" Gaiden gleamed up at him. The fire around him grew large enough that Giga Bowser took a few steps back. "Well, you're going to be worrying about your own health soon enough!"

He brought his sword above his head, the flames around the blade giving the illusion that the sword was now almost as big as Bowser. The burning blade came rushing towards Bowser. He braced his feet and caught it with both hands, grunting with effort. "IS THIS YOUR FINAL SMASH BOY?" He yelled, wondering at the power.

Gaiden shouted back at him. "NO! This is me charging my blade up to its full power!" Gaiden grinned at the startled Bowser. It had been a while since he'd been able to use this much power. With a great roar, the blazing inferno that was Gaiden's sword broke through Bowser's guard and straight through the bridge. Bowser roared in fear as he began to fall. _THE BRIDGE IS BREAKING! BUT THE BRIDGE IS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BREAK WHEN THAT GUY WITH THE BOMB COMES!_

Gaiden quickly jumped from rock to rock until he was on solid ground. The flames trailing his sword vanished, along with Bowser.

Gaiden looked down the hole. "If you want a rematch, make sure you turn into that form." He sheathed his sword inside of his cloak. "Otherwise you won't be worth my time."

**So what did you think of that fight? I know that Giga Bowser has a time limit, but for the sake of action, I made it last a long time. Leave a comment to tell me what you think. Later.**


	5. Chapter 5: Party Crashers

**Let's face it; no one probably put money on Bowser. Since that's the case, none of you get any money. Oh well, on to the story. **

Chapter 5: Party Crashers

Gaiden stepped calmly out of his teleporter, ignoring the smashers congratulating him. He could tell that some were slightly afraid of Bowser and if they're afraid of him then they weren't worth his attention. Mario ran up to clap Gaiden on the back. "Good-a job boyo-Oh!" he said in surprise as his hand hit air which resulted in him falling on his face. Flair quickly helped him up, apologizing as she did so. "I'm so sorry! He's just not what you would call a people person." Mario looked slightly hurt but once she had convinced him that it wasn't personal he felt better. That was until Gaiden remedied the situation in his own way. "You look ridiculous and your voice irritates me." Mario's eye's widened in shock. "I don't know why people seem to respect you, and I don't really care."

Mario looked suitably offended. "I a-rescued the princess!" he counted on his fingers. "Multiple times!"

Gaiden didn't look impressed. "I'm not impressed." He gestured at the fuming Bowser. "If I'm not mistaken, I just beat your archenemy." He said this as if it was no accomplishment.

Before Mario could sputter out a suitable comeback Gaiden had already left. Flair caught up to him and started yelling at him. "What is with you!? You do know that you just insulted one of the greatest heroes in history?"

Gaiden kept walking. "If that was one of the strongest people here then perhaps I am wasting my time."

Flair ran ahead of him and put her hands on his shoulders to keep him from walking away. "Then what are you doing here anyways?"

Gaiden looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm starting to wonder the same thing myself." Taking her hands of him, he proceeded to walk past her. "I think it's time for me to leave." He put a hand over his shoulder and flicked it in farewell. "Later."

Flair quickly ran up to catch him. "Wait! What about me?"

Gaiden stopped and looked back at her. "What about you?" he said, as if she was beneath his notice.

"You rescue me, tell me a little about yourself, take me to this great place, and now you're just going to leave!?" She yelled incredulously.

Gaiden nodded saying "Yep." And left without another word.

Flair walked back in silence, wondering why she was so close to tears over a boy she barely knew. She went back down to the dining hall where all the brawlers where having dinner. Sitting down, she began to half-heartedly pick at her food.

Gaiden left the Mansion and didn't even bother looking back. _That girl, why had he taken her with him?_ Gaiden answered his own question. "Because she needed protecting." _Why did I leave her here?_ "Because if she was with me then Father would try to use her to get to me and then she'd never be safe." He was just about to board the train when he noticed the conductor, laying in one of the seats. His jacket was ripped to shreds and his hat was laying on the floor in a similar condition. Walking over to him, Gaiden checked his pulse. _Still alive, but what did this to him?_ The conductor's eyes flew open and they were wide with fear. "Monsters, terrible teeth!" he tried to get up but Gaiden restrained him.

"What do you mean, monsters?" The conductor looked at him, as if fearing he might be trying to deceive him.

"Large beasts, lizards. They forced me to bring them here; they said they were looking for a prince." The conductor shook his head. "If I hadn't taken them here, they would've killed me."

Gaiden picked up the man's ruined hat and placed it back on his head. "Don't worry; we couldn't expect a weakling like you to stand up to demons." He was absolutely positive that demons had been aboard the train. He could smell them, the faint musk of lizards.

He heard the sound of breaking glass and the screams of people filling the air. The next sound he heard was the unholy roar of demons. It sounded like there was a whole pack of them. Gaiden ignored the man's terror as he heard the noise. Seems his time at the Smash Mansion wasn't over. Walking back to the Mansion, he looked upon a scene straight out of hell.

Large, horned demons were running about attacking everyone in sight. Many of the brawlers were living up to their names, desperately fighting back against this new menace. Gaiden launched himself into the air and landed in the rafters. Settling down he began to watch the battle taking place below him, watching for potential opponents. Except he didn't mean the demons.

Flair hid in a corner as a multitude of battles went on around her. She watched as a one of the red demons chased Olimar around the table, gulping down Pikmen as soon as they were thrown at him. Some of the larger characters; like Bowser and Donkey Kong, were attempting to wrestle their opponents to the ground. Explosions were going off all around the room, devastating the once grand dining hall. Snake jumped out from under a box, a bazooka on his shoulder. "Hey ugly, eat this!" a missile hurled towards one of the demons who roared in retaliation. The rocket went straight into its open jaws. The demon closed his mouth in surprise, swallowed the shell, put a hand on its stomach and promptly exploded.

The brawlers may have been holding their own, but there seemed to be a never ending supply of demons. Gaiden noted down some fighters that he would challenge later and then decided to join the battle.

Flair began to scream as one of the demons began to stalk towards her. It avoided the fighting around it, its yellow eyes focused on it's pray. She tried running away but the demon was too fast. It leaped in front of her and one of it's massive hands shot out, grabbing her by the waist. It pulled her close and roared in triumph. That roar quickly changed into a squeal of pain. Flair dropped away from the now disarmed demon and watched in fascination as it was cut in half and dissolved into smoke. In it's place stood Gaiden, who was inhaling the smoke. He noticed her staring and shrugged. "If I breathe in their fumes, I get a little stronger." He explained, as if this was the simplest thing in the world.

Flair nodded. "Yeah, smoking demons, sure." She said in shock.

A particularly large demon jumped onto the table and gave a great roar that shook the room. That roar was cut off as Gaiden landed on the demon, stabbing it in the head. It exploded into smoke as Gaiden stood up, the dark smoke wrapping around him. He took a great breath and the smoke began to disappear. He watched in slight amusement as Mario succeeded in destroying a demon but seemed to have trouble moving as the smoke whirled around him. Luigi ran up beside him. "What is-a wrong?" Mario looked at his shaking limbs. "I don't- a know! I a-feel like I'ma slightly paralyzed!"

Gaiden shook his head at them. _Honestly, if they can barely resist these weak demon's radiation, then they have no idea what's in store for them. _

Gaiden settled into a crouch and deathly flames began to grow around him. Bringing his sword up in a forward back hand blow, he struck at a lull in the battle. A streak of purple and black fire soared of off his blade and smashed a great tear in the wall. "May I have your attention?" The demon's immediately stopped fighting, looking at him in horror.

One of them had Wario stuck to it's hand and it tried to shake him off. Wario growled through his teeth as the demon swung him into a wall. Gaiden eyed them for a moment and then swung his sword at the pair. A arc of hellish energy flew off of his sword and slashed towards them. Wario's eyes widened in fear and he released his hold on the demon. Hopping away just in time, he narrowly avoided sharing the demons fate.

He got up and dusted himself off. Shaking a fist angrily at Gaiden he yelled "What did ya do that for? You stupid, you coulda killed me!"

Gaiden looked at him and his expression caused Wario to flinch in fear. "Your nothing but trash to me. What makes you think I would allow two weaklings to interrupt me?" Wario scooted behind a larger person, trying to hide from that scary gaze.

Gaiden looked out at the array of still demons. "Perhaps one of you would like to explain your reason for being here?" one of the demons hesitantly walked up to the table with him. Gaiden cut it down before it even opened it's mouth. "The weak do not stand at the same level as me." He said coldly.

The demons quickly pushed another demon towards him. It hurriedly dropped to it's knees and put its head to the floor. "Forgive us, prince, but the king sent us here." It sounded like a complete gentleman, as if having a mouthful of long teeth and foot long tongue in no way whatsoever impaired it's speaking abilities. Gaiden waved one of his hands, signaling the demon to continue.

It licked it's lips nervously. Gaiden's eye narrowed in disgust. The demon noticed his glare and quickly withdrew the appendage. "He only wishes for you to stay here, that way you can grow stronger. He knows that we pathetic demons are almost no match for your Highness and he himself, in all his splendor, does not have the time to spar with you personally." Gaiden shooed it off and the demon gladly complied.

Gaiden jumped off the table, landing in front of the group of fiends. They quickly drew back, falling onto their knees as they did so. "Tell my father that I will do as he says, but this time only." He lifted his sword, flames trailing along the blade. "You are excused." He brought the sword down and obliterated those in front of him. They yelped in fear and began to leave by any means necessary. He swung his sword again, killing enough demons that he became shrouded in smoke. In moments, all the demons had vanished. A deep breath was heard, and the smoke began to draw in around him. Those who hadn't been inside the paralyzing smokes radius watched as the last of it was sucked through his nostrils. He let out a sigh and then sheathed his sword. Looking around him, he gazed back at the other brawlers.

"At least some of you have made it onto my list tonight." He stared from person to person. "Make sure you don't disappoint me." He left without another word.

**This chapter shows a great example of Gaiden's merciless attitude. It also explains that demons exude radiation, in the form of smoke, which Gaiden can inhale to become more powerful. Now, these demons aren't really strong enough to do that much for him, but I thought it a good opportunity to show exactly how it works. If you read my profile you will notice that his dad, Beezle, can project this radiation at will which is many times more powerful than the regular demons smoke. This is also how demon's themselves become more powerful. If they kill other demons and absorb their smoke, they become stronger. This will also heal them, if they are wounded, making a hard fought victory all the more worth it. I would be glad to see what you think so far. Later. **


	6. Chapter 6: Lets Talk About Demons

**Shout-out to Aaron26; Thanks for all the reviews. Same to you Ruby1996 but I'm happy to see a new face. I am so happy for all the questions being asked. It makes me happy. Now, let's get back to the story. **

Chapter 6: Let's Talk About Demons

Gaiden stood in front of a podium before the waiting assembly. He had agreed to explain demons to them. _Wimps like them need to know all they can. Knowledge will help keep them alive._ He thought to himself. Taking a deep breath he began his speech. "Most of you are probably wondering why you were attacked last night." Most of the brawlers grumbled in assent. Gaiden continued. "I will start at the beginning. I saved this girl from a mugger one night, killing him." He waved his hand at Flair.

"She had hurt her ankle so I was obliged to carry her to a hospital. Before I left, she insisted that I meet her again." "I admit that I was somewhat curious; the fact that this girl wanted to know more about me, after I had murdered someone before her eyes, intrigued me." Flair blushed a little at this statement. Gaiden ignored her.

"After meeting up in the same park that we first met at, I had to once again protect her from the same man." He sneered. "That man had become a demon and because of his newfound power, he thought he could kill me." "Needless to say, I sent him to hell a second time."

Grabbing the note from out of his cloak he proffered it for all to see. The bottom of the note had been torn off. _No need for them to think I care about her._ That was the only reason he had come back. He protected the weak and Flair was without a doubt a weakness to him now. Worse, his dad knew it.

"I was sent here by the demon's master and told this place would give me suitable training." One of the brawlers, Pit, if he was correct raised his hand. "What is it, angel?" he asked.

"What did those demons mean by you being a prince? Does your family worship the devil or perhaps it's something even more sinister?"

Gaiden glared at him. "My heritage is not your concern but I will divulge that I am half demon, half human."

There was a murmur of unrest as this statement was spoken out loud. Gaiden shrugged, he didn't care about their opinions. Flair looked nodded to herself. She'd heard this before. Master Hand floated up beside Gaiden and shushed the crowd with a gesture. "I think at least to know what situation we're in, you should tell us _exactly_ why those demons attacked. They certainly didn't seem after you or perhaps they expected you to still be here?"

Gaiden sighed. He had hoped to avoid telling his reasons, but decided that he would tell them enough to satisfy them. "The note also said to bring Flair with me; otherwise some misfortune would probably befall her. That is why they attacked; to draw me back to the Mansion." Flair looked at him in astonishment. The way he'd put it earlier, bringing her along was just an afterthought. It seems he cared more than he let on.

"My father is a powerful demon and it was him who sent those weaklings here."

Many of the brawlers now seemed somewhat worried. Link stood up to address their concerns. "Do you mean that there are demons stronger than the ones that attacked us?"

Gaiden nodded. "The ones that attacked were the weakest form of demons, lesser demons, hardly worth the time to kill. Whenever a demon grows powerful enough it will undergo a transformation. This is where demons cease to keep looking the same. Sometimes they will still look like lizards but they are not limited to that form. They could look like just about anything. All of the mythology that describes monsters; almost every single one was a demon. These are called greater demons"

Flair listened intently, intrigued by this new knowledge. "Eventually if a fiend becomes even more powerful, they can become an arch demon. This is the most powerful form a demon can reach." He pointed at himself. "My father is an arch demon and it is from him that I gained my power."

Pit seemed quite agitated, his fingers drumming a tattoo on his bow. Gaiden smiled, his incisors showing. "Has something I said offended you, angel?"

Pit nodded. "I, as an angel of Palutena's army, do not approve of demons." He glared daggers at Gaiden. "Especially those who associate with them of their own free will."

Gaiden had a feeling that he wasn't talking just about him. "Are you suggesting that my mother knew with whom she laid?" He whispered, deathly quiet.

Pit inclined his chin in affirmation. "It seems that both of my earlier guesses where correct; your mother is obviously a Satanist and your father, Satan himself."

The room grew silent. Gaiden's eyes were lost in the shadow from his hair. "Everyone's entitled to their opinion." Flames ignited in the dark. "Too bad your going to die a martyr." With a ring of steel he drew his sword and threw himself at the angel.

Everyone except Pit dove out of the way. He snapped his bow in half and crossed them, stopping the blow. "As I expected, you seem to have inherited your father's rage."

Flames erupted around Gaiden's sword. "As I expected, you seem to have inherited your people's weakness." He growled. The flames grew larger and engulfed Pit.

Pit flew into the air, coughing, with smoke trailing from him. He spun his swords to clear the haze. Gaiden was right after him. "Fly away little angel, it's the only way you'll survive this fight." He thrust forward and Pit spun his blades again. The force of Gaiden's blow pushed Pit into a wall. Gaiden drew back and brought his sword above his head. Swinging it down, flame-like energy licked off the blade and flew towards Pit.

Pit's eyes widened in panic and he hurriedly brought forth his shield in the nick of time. The blast struck his shield and bounced off, heading right back at Gaiden. Gaiden looked in shock as the blast filled his vision and put his sword up to block it. He was pushed back, his feet tearing up the floor on the way. He placed a hand on the back of his sword and, with a yell, pushed the blast skyward. It hit the ceiling and took a rather large chunk with it.

He looked at Pit as the angel got back to his feet. "What did you just do there?" he asked, fascinated by what had seemingly just happened.

Pit shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps I missed it, care to try again?"

Gaiden nodded. "Yes, lets." He brought his sword forward and another blast flew towards the angel. Gaiden prepped himself, ready to see what happened. It looked like the blast was going to hit home, but was it really? He saw it strike, knew it did, but then it came straight back at him. He charged his energy and this time struck the blast a glancing blow, sending it careening to his right. He briefly saw what looked like a large mirror as Pit stood up and stuck it behind his back.

"So, you have a shield that can repel projectiles."

Pit grimaced. He hadn't expected him to figure it out so soon. Drawing his bow he quickly loosed an arrow at Gaiden. "Take this!" he yelled after it.

Gaiden barely moved to one side, avoiding the blue arrow all together. "Is that all you got?" he asked, then flew towards the angel.

Pit quickly loosed a volley of energy arrows at the approaching demon boy, but watched in dismay as each and every one where dodged. He frowned in concentration, still focusing on his target. Gaiden appeared in front of him, his sword trailing flames. _What is he staring at?_ He asked himself, noting that he had yet to nock another arrow. He saw sweat break across the angel's brow, saw his fingers slightly twitch, and then a triumph grin break his features. Gaiden sensed movement behind and glanced over his shoulder. He gasped as a barrage of arrows entered his peripheral vision. He tried to turn around, swearing, but couldn't come around in time. Pit jumped away as the blue barrage struck Gaiden, ripping up the floor beneath him.

He nocked another arrow and let charge to full power, intent on the cloud of dust in front of him. "That was pretty good, angel." Gaiden's voice said from the smoke.

Pit let the arrow fly. It passed through the dust, clearing it away. Gaiden wasn't there. He felt breath on the back of his neck as Gaiden spoke again. "It seems that I can start trying now." Pit swung around and found himself face to face with purple and black fire.

He shakily stood up, looking at the row of chairs that he'd just been smashed through. On the other side of the destruction was Gaiden. Gaiden stepped into the small ditch that he'd made and swung his sword to his side, clearing away the flames. "What else can you do, angel?" he seemed genuinely interested.

Deciding that the best defense would be a good offense, he flew towards Gaiden, slashing with his dual blades. The following exchange was a blur of sparks and fire, neither person giving ground. Flair watched from the sidelines and could tell that Pit was tiring. His strokes weren't as fast as they had been at the beginning and Gaiden's attack, if anything, had gotten faster. She squeezed herself against a wall as Master Hand flew in front of her, a smash ball in his grasp. "What are you going to do?" she asked him.

He tossed the ball into the air and punched it at Pit. "Giving Pit a fighting chance, what does it look like?"

Gaiden stepped away from Pit as the angel began to glow with a rainbow aura, his eye yellow. "All troops-move out!" he yelled.

Gaiden narrowed his eyes as an image of Palutena appeared. Then something struck him in the back. He stumbled and walked forward, right as another struck him in the face. He growled. "Puny angels." He slashed, knocking the next one out of the air. Three more of the angel troops flew towards him. He slashed two away but the second had kept away from the others, getting itself an opening. "Is this it? I expected better." He sounded disappointed.

Pit stood in front of him. There had to be a hundred troops hovering above him. "That was just the scouting party…ATTACK!" he yelled, pointing at Gaiden. Gaiden settled into a crouch as the angels washed towards him like a wave. Flair yelled in warning. "Gaiden, watch out!"

He ignored her, entirely focused on the army in front of him. With a yell he flung his sword upwards, a blast of hellish energy taking out a score of them. Then they were upon him. "Gaiden!" He was nowhere to be seen.

Pit watched the angels cover him, a grim smile on his face. "Hopefully, your soul might be cleansed and enter the kingdom of heaven." He turned around to walk away.

"It's going to take more than this to cleanse my soul." He stopped and turned around, not believing what he just heard. "Gaiden?" he whispered.

A flurry of purple and black energy cleared began to clear away some of the angels. The temporary lull showed Gaiden, his eyes on fire and teeth bared. "My soul was damned at birth!" His sword flashed around, cutting down all around him.

Gaiden was a blur as he flew from side to side, demolishing the army as if they were nothing but flies. After dealing with most of the soldiers he allowed his sword to rest on his shoulder. "Why, tell me why you send an army of weaklings to kill the son of the devil?" he grinned at Pit's fearful expression, the smile almost feral. "Others have tried…they no longer exist." His sword burst forth with new flames. They began to grow until they almost covered Gaiden himself.

His sword flicked off his shoulder and aimed itself at Pit. A great blast of deathly energy flew forward, destroying the remaining troops and blasted towards Pit. "No." Pit said as the ghastly fire consumed him.

Pit lay on his knees, swords on the ground, one arm hanging lifelessly at his side. He tried to stand but found he couldn't. He could only watch as Gaiden raised his sword over his head for the death blow. His eye were alight with fire as he said "Say goodbye to everything." Gaiden took a deep breath and the sword swung down. "STOP GAIDEN!" The blade stopped a hairsbreadth from Pit's throat. Pit glanced at it, laughed, and then fainted.

Gaiden glared at Flair, Pit's savior. "Don't kill him; otherwise you're no better than your father!" Gaiden looked at the collapsed form of Pit and growled. Sheathing his blade he walked away. "Fine, it seems the angel will live another day." Leaving the devastated room, he walked to his own room. Flair followed him.

Master Hand looked at the room, twitching as an entire wall fell down. "Two rooms utterly destroyed in as many days, this kid is costing me a fortune!" He pointed at the roof. "I had always wanted a sunroof though!"

**So, angel collides with demon. I was pretty sure that these two wouldn't get along and it seems I was right. Just to let you know, Ruby1996, in the fight vs. Bowser he charged his normal special attack to full power. In this fight; he charged his down special, a ranged attack, to full power. Tell me what you liked! Later. **


	7. Chapter 7: Don't be a Bully

I know this is kind of quick but I really want to show what Gaiden thinks of bullies. You will probably never guess who he saves from bulling. Now let's find a volunteer bully!

Chapter 7: Don't be a Bully (if you want to live long, healthy life)

Captain Falcon sauntered over to Pit's hospital bed and it wasn't to give his condolences or a get well card. "Hey feathers, why you looking so low? Can't you fly?" he waved his arms for emphasis.

Pit grumbled at him. "Falcon perhaps they should change your name to Captain Vulture, you always seem to pick at people when they're at their weakest."

The Captain frowned. He didn't like being made fun of, only he could make fun of people. He reached over and undid the pain medication that was going down Pit's arm. "Oops, my bad, must've slipped." He grinned as Pit feebly tried to reattach the tube. He wasn't having any success.

"Damn you Falcon, put that thing back!" he said weakly.

Falcon laughed. "Hey, you were the one who got their ass whipped by that damned kid."

Pit's mouth dropped as said kid came over and reattached the tube. "Care to be next in line Captain Falcon?" he asked.

Falcon stopped laughing as Gaiden stepped in front of him. "What you defending him? Doesn't seem much like you."

Gaiden looked up at him. "I don't like bullies."

Falcon looked like he could care less. "Kid, you don't know who you're messing with."

The people in the park below the hospital looked up as they heard a yell and the sound of glass breaking. They looked back down as Captain Falcon landed in front of them. "No, I don't really know who you are and I don't honestly care."

Gaiden landed beside him and grabbed him by his collar. "I repeat myself; I don't like bullies."

He threw Falcon away from him sending him tumbling across the ground. The people present decided to back away. They'd already seen Gaiden's unnatural skill at completely destroying whatever area he was in. Falcon stood up, Gaiden's sword in his hand. "Let's see how tough you are without your little knife!" he said, throwing it behind him.

He gasped as Gaiden's fist slammed into his stomach. "Fool, do you really think I need my sword to beat the likes of you?" His other hand slammed upwards and struck Captain Falcon in the jaw. Time seemed to slow down as Falcon hung in the air. He cursed as Gaiden appeared beside him in the air.

"Spread your wings Falcon." His fist came screaming at Falcon's face. One of the Captain's fists flew up and caught it.

"Too obvious kid." He smirked, and then Gaiden's foot slammed into the side of his head.

"You're lucky you were wearing that helmet." He said as the Captain slammed into a wall.

Captain Falcon stood up and glared at Gaiden. The demon kid was bouncing on the balls of his feet, completely at ease. "Cocky eh? Try my Falcon Punch!" his fist erupted with fire as he flew towards the demon boy.

Gaiden drew back his own fist, which began to glow with the familiar purple and black flames. The two attacks collided, creating a shockwave and putting a crater in the earth. Falcon drew back and rubbed his hand. "What!? How can you do that without your sword?"

Gaiden smiled at him. The smile of a predator. "You are truly a fool Captain. This power is mine; the sword is merely my preferred method of fighting." His fist began to glow with power, along with his feet. "Now, where were we?"

Falcon's fist caught fire as he ran towards Gaiden. His first strike was a left hook, which Gaiden easily dodged. "What, too scared to take a hit?" the Captain sneered.

He struck with his right, hitting Gaiden in the face. Gaiden smiled and returned a blow in retaliation. He took any hit that Falcon delivered and always answered with one of his own. He wanted to show this idiot that he wasn't afraid of taking hits. Falcon reared back and began to charge his punch.

"Let's see if you can take my punch at full power!"

Gaiden dropped his guard and put his hands out to his sides. "Let's have it." His expression could only be described as bored.

Flair watched from the window Gaiden had thrown Falcon threw. "Gaiden! I know that you're strong, but no one lets themselves get hit by one of Falcon's punches at full power! Dodge it!"

Falcon and Gaiden looked up at her. "You should listen to your pretty friend, kid. This might permanently damage you." He smiled at that.

Gaiden shook his head at Flair. "I can tell that Captain Falcon is fairly strong, so I want to see just how strong he can get." He turned back to Falcon. "Make it count."

The Captain nodded and ran towards him, his entire arm and half his torso encompassed by fire. "FALCON PUNCH!" he yelled throwing the blow with all his strength.

An explosion shook the windows as the punch struck Gaiden in the chest. He was sent flying and crashed into a pillar. Not only did the pillar crumble on top of him but the room supported by the pillar collapsed, completely encasing him in stone. Captain Falcon smacked his hands together. "That's what you get for being a cocky little prick." He jerked a thumb back at Pit's room. "Join your little friend in the infirmary!"

The pile of rubble began to shake. Falcon took a step back as it continued to shake with growing intensity. "What's going on?" he asked uncertainly.

Then the rocks were blown away as if by some massive wind. In their place stood Gaiden. Most of his cloak had been torn away, revealing a gray undershirt without sleeves that had a black dragon design on the right side. The shirt also had a hole burned through it. He also had black martial artist pants and had bandages tied around his wrist, ankles, throat and waist. He reached up and ripped what was left of his cloak away. His right arm was covered in purple and black flames, which seemed to twist about as if they had minds of their own. "That was pretty good Falcon; it's been a while since someone's given me a good bruising." He pointed at the hole in his shirt with his left hand.

Falcon took another step back. "You mean after taking all that damage, you're only bruised!?"

Gaiden nodded. "Yep" He disappeared in a flash and appeared before Falcon, his fiery fist drawn back. "My turn." The fist flew forward and seemed to explode upon impact.

Falcon was blown through a pillar of his own, thankfully the rest didn't crash down, and crashed through several walls before coming to a stop in his own room. He landed on his car, pushing it up against the wall and damaging Falcon's pride and joy beyond repair. He looked out of the corner of his eyes to see what he landed on and groaned. "Not my car, anything but that."

Gaiden jumped back to the infirmary and told the nurse that she'd have another patient. "Chansey!"

Before he could leave, Pit stopped him by grabbing his wrist. "Wait. Why did you do that? Why did you stand up for me?"

Gaiden shook his hand off and sighed. "I thought I'd made myself perfectly clear; I don't like bullies." Then he left, Flair following behind him, trying to stick some bandages on him.

Master hand came to the park with his newspaper and calmly sat on the untouched bench, humming to himself. A loud crash was heard and the room that Falcon's pillar had been supporting fell to the ground. Master Hand's humming stopped and he set the paper down, gazing around him. "Okay, something definitely seems different about the park."

**I know that this was kind of a short chapter, but it was really just for fun. Let me know what you think and let this be a warning to you all; don't be a bully or Gaiden will find you. Later. **


	8. Chapter 8: Olimar's Fright

**Sorry that it's been so long but I've been busy. I had to go up to MEPs for the military. Either way, I have not been completely idle. I have found a new character who will be introduced in this chapter. He is a character from Aaron26, who has yet to write a story but has kindly agreed to send me an OC. **

Chapter 8:  Olimar's Fright

Gaiden sat on the roof of the Smash Mansion. Master Hand had confined him to his room for destroying the Mansion's park. This meant that Gaiden wasn't going to listen to a word Master Hand had to say. He pulled out his romance novel and began to read. Reading always seemed to calm him down and what he needed more than anything was to calm down. He had been sorely tempted to attack that ridiculous floating hand. _Does he really think that he can tell me what to do? Unless he's more powerful than he looks then I don't see how he believes that he has the power to command me._

He heard the door behind him open and decided to ignore it. _I went up here for some peace and quiet, not to be followed around like a mother duck!_ As he expected, the voice that he heard was Flair. She was wondering why he wasn't in his room.

"Just what do you think your doing up here Gaiden!?" she yelled at him, hands on her hips.

_Why do people insist on asking me questions that have no need of answers?_ He asked himself.

Gaiden held the book up over his shoulder. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You can read in your room which is where you're supposed to be!" Flair growled.

Before she could rant anymore, Gaiden cut her off. "The light in my room is dead and it's a nice day out." This was only half true. The weather outside might have been sunny and warm but his light was perfectly fine. This would just give him the time to find a different hiding place and it would piss Flair off.

"You know, you could've called one of the Robs. They take care of all the work like that." She seemed satasfied with his answer and began to walk away. "But I'm coming back up here when they're done and you are going to your room mister." With that, she left.

_Finally. Now, where else could I go?_ He thought, shutting his book and storing it in his cloak. He saw a likely spot and nimbly stepped off the roof. He fell in front of a rather large rose bush and walked behind it. _Some times being short has it's advantages._ He chuckled to himself and settled down.

Minutes later he was awarded with an angry yell. "Gaiden! Where the hell did you go off to?" Flair's voice resonated from the rooftop balcony. Gaiden spared a glance above him and shrugged. He had better things to do. Like finding out how Romeo will meet Juliet again.

His peace was not meant to last. A small, red, vaguely plant-like creature pushed itself through the rose bush and stopped as it bumped into his leg. It had an antenna which was topped with a small leaf. "The hell?" he grumbled, closing his book once again.

Soon the creature was joined by others of it's kind in all kinds of colors. They all stared up at him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world. While he was deciding if they were worth killing, a small man in a space suit broke his way through bush. "Hey, guys! What'cha doing?" He followed their gaze and noticed Gaiden.

The blood drained from his face. "Uh...sorry?" Olimar squeaked.

"Get out." Gaiden said calmly.

"Well, this bush is pretty thick and I think it might take some time and..." he rambled until Gaiden stopped him.

"Now!" Gaiden said, more forcefully.

"Or not that long!" he hurriedly. He tried pushing his way back through but didn't move fast enough.

The rose bush was burnt to ashes as Gaiden drew his katana and let loose with a torrent of fire. Olimar jumped from the blaze with only minor burns but his Pikmen weren't so lucky. Their multicolored ghost floated to the sky, giving them the appearance of a straight up rainbow. Gaiden stepped out from the smoke and glared at the trembling Olimar. "I told you to get out, weakling." He brought his sword up and the captain flinched.

Gaiden sheathed his sword and said in an undertone. "Lucky for you, I don't kill the helpless." He knew that even with his Pikmen, Olimar was really no threat to him. To fight him without them at all would have been borderline cowardly. He walked away from the dimunitive captain. "Now I have to find another spot." He said to himself.

Olimar breathed a sigh of relief as Gaiden left. "I'm just glad that I didn't have to fight him!" he tried to wipe the sweat away that had been building on his forehead but remebered his helmet. "Oh yeah." He pushed a button which blew a puff of cool air on his face, drying the sweat. He dusted himself off and glanced back at Gaiden. "That kid's scary, I'll tell you what." He turned around and found himself face to face with a tall shadow.

"Aaahhhhh! Please don't kill me I didn't mean to interupt you!" he shielded himself with his hands, thinking it was Gaiden changing his mind. His eyes were closed and he heard a loud groan come from the shadow.

The blonde haired man before him was wearing a blue trenchcoat that revealed a black wife beater beneath it and white, leather shoulder pads. He had kahki pants, combat boots, and black leather gloves that had metal studs on the kuckles. He was also wearing small, square glasses. The man stared down at him. As Olimar looked into his eyes he saw things. Scary things. He saw monsters from his world, people he knew dying, burning. He was to scared to move and he sensed that this was someone he wanted to move away from. But he felt rooted to the spot, as if he couldn't help but watch the images burn themselves into his brain. The man blinked and smiled kindley at Olimar. "Sorry about that, can't really help it when I'm in this kind of condition."

It was then that Olimar noticed how sad a state the man was in. His clothes looked like they had been slashed which revealed some of his bloody, tan skin. Even his glasses were cracked. His voice was warm and charismatic, completely different from what his appearnce gave off. Olimar pressed his cool air button again. "N-no problem." He swallowed. "Can I help you?"

The man sank to one knee but still towered above Olimar. "It depends, little space man, do you know where I can find the Smash Mansion?" He seemed to be on the verge of exaustion, but was to proud to admit it.

Olimar thought about it. Should he really trust this man, after all those things he saw? The man seemed to notice his hesistation. "Don't worry, I solemly give my word to cause no harm to your Mansion" he put a hand on his heart as he said this. "On my life I will not go back on my word. It is sacred to me."

Olimar decided to go against his better judgement and trust the man. But not the point of foolishness. "Okay, but I'll have you know that if your lying and intend to bring trouble; you'll have your hands full. The Smash Mansion is full of the strongest fighters ever!" he expected to see someting in the man's eyes, but anger wasn't one of them.

"You dare think that I would lie?" The man stood up and put his hand down to his side. Olimar just noticed the black sheath with silver lining hanging on his waist. "Do you really believe that my word, my honor, means so little to me!?" The greatsword flew from it's sheath and pointed itself down at Olimar. The sword had two sharp edges and had three black lines on the silver handle. The end was a circle with four pieces of metal meeting in the center, connecting to a blue gem. The crossguard curved down the further away it got from the blade and hooked up at the ends. The crossguard seemed to have ingravings of some sort on the flat sides.

Olimar nervously backed away. "O-of course n-not!" He said, trying to keep a smile on his shaking face. "I would never think something like that of someone like you!"

He stared down at Olimar with an approving expression and nodded. Sheathing his sword, he began to apologize. "I'm sorry if my anger got away from me-what was your name?"

"Captain Olimar."

"-Captain Olimar. I must have misunderstood you in my weariness. I am in somewhat of a hurry and would gladly appreciate it if you would lead me to the Smash Mansion."

Olimar nodded and motioned behind him. "It's right here, actually." He wondered if this man was being merely polite.

He looked up and smiled. "Ah, yes...so it is."

Olimar shook his head. _Wow, I guess he's more tired than he's letting on. Or he's just near sighted._ "Let me be the first to welcome you to the Smash Mansion." He summoned some Pikmen and used them to grab the handle. With a grunt he heaved the door open and lead him inside.

The man nodded to himself as he beheld the arthiticture. "Not bad, not bad at all."

Master Hand floated down from the stairs and put himself out to shake the tall man's hand. "Hello good sir, and what takes you to our humble mansion?" after shaking the stranger's arm he pointed his fingers at his palm. "I am Master Hand, how might I help you?"

Samael looked around. "I am here because I'm looking for Gaiden."

Master Hand literally fell out of the air. "Excuse me?" he asked, hurriedly picking himself back up.

"I have some people following me, Guided Ones, and because of that I am a little short on time. Now I need to know, where is Gaiden?"

With a soft thump, Gaiden landed behind him. "Guided Ones? Trouble seems to follow you wherever you go."

He glared up at him as the man smiled down at him. "Tell me, what are you doing here...Samael?"

**So what do you think? I've added a new character and don't plan on revealing much more about until chapter 10. Which, by the way, I have planned. You will once again recieve chapters one after the other. I will post chapter 9 tommorow(unless some crap pops up) and may even squeeze in chapter 10. At the latest expect it around Monday. Leave me reviews! Later. **


	9. Chapter 9: Enter-Guided Ones

**Well, well, well. Has anybody looked up who Samael is yet? It doesn't really matter. He has many titles that he can't wait to tell you about. **

**Samael: Thank for that very understated introduction. **

**PA18: Go to hell. **

**Samael: Been there, done that. **

Chapter 9: Enter-Guided Ones

Flair stopped at the top of the balcony and was about to shout at Gaiden when she noticed the tall stranger. She heard Gaiden say something to him.

"Tell me, what are you doing here...Samael?" he asked, glaring up at the man.

He didn't seem to care that Samael was obviously injured. Flair ran down the stairs and stopped behind Gaiden. "What is going on here?" she pointed up at the stranger. "Who is this guy?"

Samael smacked a hand to his forehead. "Where are my manners? I don't seem to have introduced myself."

Gaiden sighed. "Here we go." He said quietly.

Samael bowed slightly at the waist and put a hand leisurely on his chest. " I am Samael; also known as the Desolate One, Lord of the Shadows, Son of Nergal, Hound of Resurrection, Harbinger of Pestilence, Seed of Destruction."

Gaiden shook his head in annoyance. Samael noticed and raised an eyebrow. "But for the sake of time and speed, you may just call me Samael."

Olimar raised his hand. "Can we just call you Sam or Sammy?"

A growling sound emanated from Samael's throat. " If three syllables are truly to much for you, you may call me Sam." He didn't seem pleased with this.

Gaiden waved Olimar away as the space man began to raise his hand again. "I think it's time you explain your reason for being here." He crossed his arms and nodded at Sam. "So, Guided Ones?"

Samael nodded. "They are trying to get a hold of me and I don't think it's for tea."

This time it was Flair who raised her hand. "Who or what are Guided Ones?"

Master Hand bobbed up and down. "Yes, I was thinking the same thing."

Samael turned approvingly to Flair. " The willingness to ask questions. That's a good trait to have Miss Castle it shows-" Gaiden interrupted him.

"This is not the time to play teacher, just answer the question." He said crisply.

Sam let out an exaggerated sigh. "Very well; I'll skip to the end instead of explaining what goes into making a commendable character."

He sat down in a nearby chair. "Guided Ones; it is both a who and a what. It is a society of holy men who "purify" all evil that they come across. Individual's are also called Guided Ones, though that is not their true name. The Guided Ones was started by the remnants of an old Catholic church. Back when if you didn't go to church you'd get more punishment than not going to McDonalds." He paused for breath. "They discovered demons and now most of their work involves hunting down these monsters and, for want of a better word, killing them."

Gaiden nodded. "Their cause is, at its most basic, a noble one but they don't seem to understand that darkness and light can coexisist. This can make them...a problem." He said regrettably.

Flair started to get worried. If Gaiden was admitting that these Guided Ones where a problem, then they had to be a big cause for worry. "So, you said they were following you?" she asked.

Samael nodded. "They didn't seem to be trying as hard as they could've, and for them I flatter myself by saying I'm big game, as if they were holding back." He looked around. "They should be here soon."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Everyone's eyes darted to the door. Flair slowly walked forward. Gaiden slipped his hand into his cloak. Flair took a breath and cracked the door open. "Can I help you?" she asked.

A fairly tall man, not as tall as Samael, put a hand on the door and slowly pried it open. "Sorry to intrude madam, but we have business with a couple of your tenants." The rest of the door was flung against the door and six men entered the dining room. They were dressed in suits made entirely of white. They had scabbards of ivory on their hips. Each man also had a single shoulder guard on their right shoulders with a strap that went across their chest and down to the scabbards. The shoulder guard had a lantern inscribed on it which surrounded a golden gem.

The man who first entered had blonde hair that was almost white. It was long, wavy, and hung above midback. Some of it was pulled over his shoulders and hung to his chest. He had blue eyes and was clean shaven, as was the rest of the Guided Ones. Flair was at first under the impression that he was an elf from fairy tails or perhaps an angel. His face was kind and he carried himself with ease. "I have to thank you for leading us to him Samael. Without you, why, we might have never found him again."

Samael growled again in his throat. "I thought you were going easy on me Michael."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Of that I am guilty, but that's where the guilt stops."

He gestured at Samael and Gaiden with one hand. "You two, on the other hand, are guilty of far more serious crimes." He drew his sword and the five men behind him did the same. The ring of metal filled the air. Gaiden and Samael had copied their movements. Michael's sword appeared to be made entirely out of black stone.

Master Hand floated in between the opposing groups. "Now see here! This is the Smash Mansion and you have no right to bring your cult's beliefs, or followers, here unless invited!" he seemed quite agitated.

Michael's facial expression didn't change. "I have no quarrel with you or your mansion, hand deity. Do not block my path or I will assume that you have joined the wrong side."

Master Hand grew more serious. "If that's what you want to think then allow me to introduce you to a few of my smashers." He straightened up and his voice became amplified. "Link, Meta Knight, Marth, Ike!" At once, the four swordsmen appeard behind him. They held their blades naked in their hands and stared determinedly at the other group. Master Hand turned around and pointed at them. "I charge you to defend the Smash Mansion and it's inhabitants! Show them how we deal with unwanted guests!"

The four fighters saluted with their swords. Master Hand floated up and said to Gaiden and Samael. "I know Gaiden will not appreciate the help but your getting it anyways. This is **my **mansion."

Gaiden glanced at Flair. "If I were you then I'd get a safe distance away. This is going to get rough." He seemed almost worried. Flair watched him with the same feeling in her heart. "Gaiden." She said softly.

Gaiden glared at her. "Now!" she started in suprise and then nodded, retreating to a safe distance.

Michael looked her way. "What's this? Have you perhaps learned how to care for another creature besides yourself, Gaiden?"

Gaiden gritted his teeth. "She means nothing, right now this is just about you and me!" Then in a flurry of cloth, the groups launched themselves forward.

Gaiden's sword collided with Michael's and erupted in ghostly flames. The flames glew bright for a second, but then dissapeared but not into Gaiden's sword. Gaiden's eyes narrowed as his flames where sucked into Michael's black sword. "Leechstone." He spat out, making it a curse.

Michael nodded and pointed his sword at Gaiden. "Of course." With that a ray of light blasted off of his sword and enveloped the black fighter.

**I just love cliffhangers, don't you? I hope this chapter has been enlightening. It has probably created just as many questions as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are eagerly anticipating Chapter 10. R&R please. Later!**


	10. Chapter 10: A New Kind of Flame

**Not much of a cliffhanger when the next chapter comes right behind it. Either way, lets get to the freaking fight!**

Chapter 10: A New Kind of Flame

Gaiden threw his arm up and closed his eyes as the beam of light surrounded him. He was surprised that Michael had found enough leechstone to make a sword blade out of it. The amount that Michael had in that sword alone would have took years to accumulate. Most of the Guided Ones only had enough to cover the top of one of their hands. This black rock could absorb a demon's power. It could then redirect the power back at the offending demon. It did not simply shoot the demons fire back at him, it simply uses the power from that attack and turns it into an energy more suited to the wielder. That was why this hurt so much. In effect, it was as if Gaiden had attacked himself.

Gaiden opened his eyes just in time to see Michael flying towards him, sword behind him. "You think you can handle this kind of power!?" he yelled at him. With a wild cry he unleashed a barrage of fiery slashes at the incoming Guided One.

Michael shook his head, chuckling, and intercepted the slashes with his leechstone sword. Gaiden's eyes widened as Michael closed the distance, untouched by his attack. "Overconfident fool" he said and kicked Gaiden across the face. Gaiden flew into the wall and stuck there.

He groaned and lifted his head. "Damn it." He growled. He pushed himself out and kicked off the wall, flying towards the calm Michael.

Marth and Meta Knight faced their respective opponents and attacked. These Guided Ones had only regular swords. They were doubled bladed and had a crossguard similiar to a fencing sword. Both of their opponents were slower than they were but had more strength. Marth grunted as he strained to push his enemy's blade aside. "Why are they so strong, they're only human!" He jumped out of the way as the Guided One pushed him away.

Meta Knight easily sidesteped his opponents sword and responed with a thrust. "I have a feeling that we'll find out later, for now just focus and fight!" he caught the sword on his own spiked blade and twisted it to one side, throwing it's bearer with it. Link wrapped his chain around his own Guided One and kicked him threw a wall. He stabbed down at him and as soon as his blade connected, there was a bright light and the chains where left empty. Link rolled his chain up scratched his head. "Now, how did that happen?"

Marth nodded and countered a side cut with a upwards backhand, leaving his opponent open for a quick kick to the side. He jumped over his opponents next attack and landed behind him, back to back. Without looking he swung his sword behind him and felt it connect. He twirled around, sword ready for another strike, and saw his opponent on the floor clutching his throat. The gem on his shoulder pad began to glow and with a flash he dissapeared.

Meta Knight's advesary had just found out the hard way that this little sword fighter could fly. The masked knight rained blows from above before swinging his cape around him. The Guided One looked around, confused. A hiss of steel was heard and all of a sudden Meta Knight was infront of him, sword stretched to one side. A cut appeared on the mans chest and with a cry he dissapeared as well. The two warriors looked at each other and shrugged. Who cares what happened, so long as their gone.

Samael looked at the fighter opposite of him and tried a smile. "Could you possibly fight one of the others?" he pointed at the wounds that had covered his body. "As you can see, I have already been beat on and-" without finishing his sentence he flew forward and thrust his sword threw the other man's chest. The man gasped, looked down at the sword in shock and with a cry dissapeared in a blinding light. Samael clutched his side and sat back in his chair. "Amateur."

Ike jumped towards his opponent and missed on purpose. _Will he take advantage of this opening? _ He asked himself. Sadly, the man jumped away in fright. He had almost no time to register this big man's attack. "Why did I have to fight such a coward?" he asked to no one in particular. He walked towards the Guided One with his sword on his shoulder.

He looked down at the man and lifted his sword slowly above his head. "How about you block it this time, instead of running like a wimp." The large greatsword came flashing down and landed on the Guided One's hastily thrown up defense. The man drew a dagger from his coat and stuck Ike in the side. Ike coughed blood as the blade hit home.

He looked down at the man and then looked at the knife inside him. "Nice." Then he calmly lifted his sword up and smiled. "That's how you use an opening." He lifted his sword above him with two hands and it glew with regular flames. "Now that you've at least hit me, I don't have to hold back." Then he thrust down. The man screamed as the burning sword broke through his own blade and cut him from shoulder to hip. The blade kept going and sunk into the ground. As it did so, the Guided One vanished like the others before him.

Gaiden was the only one still fighting and he wasn't doing as well as the others had. He kept charging his sword up, only to have Michael's sword greedily suck it up. Flair walked up behind Samael as he watched the fight. He noticed her presence and pointed at Gaiden. "You see how he just recklessly uses his power?" she nodded. "Everytime he does this he is getting weaker" He then pointed at Michael. "And he gets stronger." He continued on. "Leechstone weapons don't just absorb demonic power. They give that power to the user and Michael has killed _alot_ of demons."

Flair glanced at him and then went back to the fight. "Why don't you tell Gaiden to stop using his power then?" Samael shrugged. Flair glared at him. "But he could die!"

Samael shook his head at her. "I thought you were smarter than this, girl. He needs to learn the hard way otherwise he'll never be a great fighter."

Flair watched with growing worry as Gaiden was pushed back by a particularly strong blow. _It seems unreal, seeing Gaiden losing._ She shook that thought away. Gaiden would win, he always wins. Her worry turned to horror as Michael smacked Gaiden's sword away and stabbed his sword through his chest. "GAIDEN!" she yelled.

Gaiden was having problems. He knew why Michael was so strong. Everytime he killed a demon he would get stronger, thanks to that damned sword. But he'd never expected him to be so strong. Gaiden had never had reason to question his own strength, except against two people. It looked like he'd have to add this guy to his list. Time seemed to slow down as his sword was batted away from him. _How?_ Then that black sword pierced his body and began to absorb his essences. His eyes began to dull, blood running down his chest. Then Samael was there and he was pulling the sword out. Gaiden looked up at him. "Damn dog." And then he fell to the ground.

Samael shook his burning hand. That thing sure is dangerous, at least to demons. Luckily he'd had plenty of time to hone his skills as a swordsmen. Since the beginning really. Ah well, down to business. Drawing his sword he held it point down. "So Michael, killed anybody important lately?" He ignored Gaiden as he fell to the floor.

Michael smiled at him. "Now that you mention it I did kill Asmodeus just the other day."

Samael shrugged but seemed impressed. "The last of the original Princes of Hell? I didn't like him anyway."

Michael nodded. "He was rather unpleasant." He pointed at Samael's sword. "So do plan on fighting me now or after I kill Gaiden?"

Samael shook his head, his expression blank and his eyes locked with Michael's. "I don' t plan on letting you kill Gaiden and I don't plan of fighting you."

Michael laughed lightly. "Then what do you _plan_ on doing Samael?"

Samael grabbed Gaiden and put on his shoulder. "Getting out of the way."

Michael raised an eyebrow at this and then detected movement behind him. He duck and barely avoided Ike's sword stroke. "Who are you?" he asked spinning around so that he was facing his new adversary.

"Ike and I already heard your name. Now if you don't mind, I don't like waiting to fight strong opponents so lets do this." Without another word he jumped towards Michael and struck out with Ragnell.

Michael blocked the blow and countered with a blindingly fast combo. Ike managed to block most of them but still took hits to the shoulder and leg. "Wow, you're really fast you know that?"

Michael thrust forward and aimed for Ike's heart. Ike blocked it with his own sword but was being pushed back, kicking up dust in their wake. He grinned as Michael continued to push him back. "Strong to, I think I'm gonna enjoy this."

Planting his feet, Ike stopped moving. He grabbed over his sword and grabbed Michael's wrist. Michael's eyes widened in shock as Ike drew him closer and then flung him away. The Guided One hit a couple of tables and smashed into the stair's banister. Getting up he saw Ike running towards him, a big grin on his face. "Your up already?" Michael jumped out of the way as Ike's sword erupted in flames and struck the spot that he was just in. The fire cut straight through the steps and blasted through the wall.

Ike flung his sword over his head to block the blow that he felt coming. He reached behind his back and found a hold on Michael's arm. He bent over and pulled Michael over, slamming him onto the floor. "Well, well, look where we are again."

Michael once again avoided Ike's monster sword and jumped a safe distance away. "I think it's time to end this." He pointed his sword at Ike and a stream of light blasted his way. Ike ran towards the stream and drew his sword back. He swung his sword in a giant back hand and it connected with the beam of light. With a great yell, he flung the energy attack away, blasting away most of the doors.

Michael was stunned. "What!? What did you just do?" _How can a regular human deflect my attack like that?_

Ike didn't bother giving an answer. He just blasted towards the suprised Guided One and began to deliver a storm of blows. "Does it really matter? How about you actually try killing me?" He said this in a voice that honestly scared Michael.

"Do you want to die, you crazy bastard!" he yelled, returning in kind with his sword. He watched in satasfaction as he succeeded in slashing a deep wound across Ike's chest. Blood poured from the wound and Ike put his hand to the cut. Bringing his bloody hand to his face, his features took on a manic light. He licked some of the blood off and began to laugh.

"Hahahahahaha! You're one tough son of a bitch!" he showed the blood to Michael and continued laughing. "Bwhaahahaha! I don't want this to end but it seems I'm going to have to wrap this up!" he took a couple of breaths and looked at Michael with something akin to regret.

Michael stepped back in shock as Ike began to glow with a rainbow aura. "What is this?" he asked.

Flair stared at Ike. "How is he going to use his Final Smash! I didn't see a smash ball anywhere!" Master Hand floated beside her and tutted.

"If a smasher becomes strong enough then they can use it without the aid of a smash ball. For the sake of the tournament, they are forbidden to do this and can only use their Final Smash with a smash ball." He gestured at Ike. "And Ike's one of our strongest smashers."

Ike raised his sword above his head as it multiplied in size, resembling Gaidens attack except that his was the color of regular flames. "Great Aether!" he yelled and swung the blade at Michael.

Michael blocked the flaming blade and gritted his teeth as he strained against it's power. "What the hell kind of technique is this?" then his guard was broken.

The great blade swung him into the air and was followed by six more slashes. Ike then kicked him twice. He delivered four more blasting attacks before bringing his sword up for the final blow. "I'm gonna miss fighting you, but this is the end!" he yelled at Michael.

Michael watched the attack fall towards him, his body to battered and cut to move. _NO!_ He said to himself. The sword was just about to connect, when Michael dissapeared in flash of yellow light. Ike fell the floor and obliterated the table. "Oops." He said, pulling his sword from the tables remains. He looked around and scratched his head. "Where'd he go?"

Flair looked at Gaiden in concern. He was still out and he needed treatment as soon as possible. She glanced at Samael. "Is he dead, Michael I mean."

Samael shook his head. "No. Every Guided One comes with that shoulder pad you saw. That yellow gem teleports them away whenever they take too much damage. The only way to kill them is to make sure the wound is irreparable." He smiled. "Or break the gem."

Master Hand floated beside them. "Okay, while Ike is looking for his new best friend, let's get Gaiden to the Mansion's hospital."

As they walked away, Master Hand called out. "Hey Crazy! Get your twitchy fingers over here and help me clean up this mess, it takes two to tango you know!"

Hand sighed and his smasher, minus Ike, shook their heads as Crazy Hand came down the ruined stairs in a red and orange mexican dress. "I'm ready!" he called.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I updated so quickly to make up for my lapse. Please tell me what you liked! R&R. Later. **


	11. Chapter 11: Samael the Teacher

**The reviews that I've been receiving are very nice. Thank you. I apologize ahead of time if people complain about these high speed movements. I just think Bleach does a good job explaining how characters dissapear and what not. **

Chapter 11: Samael the Teacher

Samael stood in front of the very podium that Gaiden had once stood at and was inspecting the room. It was fairly neat except for a large hole in the ceiling. "What is that for Master Hand?" he asked, pointing at it.

The large hand followed his finger and chuckled. "That is a skylight, complements of Gaiden."

Samael nodded in understanding. "So I see." Then he picked up his notes and straightened them. "Now, to business."

"The Guided Ones that your smashers so effectively defeated where only pawns. This is their rank. All the Guided Ones are given ranks based on chess pieces. The more powerful fighter, Michael, was a high level Bishop. Their rank depends on what weapons they will have and how powerful they are. It also depends on how they fight. Pawns are equipped with regular steel swords and a leech glove. They don't really have a certain way of fighting. This glove can absorb demon fire and use it for offensive or defensive measures. This also gives them more power, at least it does if they absorb a demon's essence with it. The amount of leechstone in an object relates to how much demon power it can hold. Luckily, most of you aren't demons and so don't have to worry about having your essences absorbed." He smiled as he said this and some people chuckled.

"Pawns are easily dealt with and are only threats to weak demons and the unwary. Bishops on the other hand, are the second highest rank a Guided One can gain. Bishops fight with leechstone swords and can also use a technique that they call lightrun, which allows them move at high speeds and to effectively fly. Any Guided One who is above the Pawn Rank can use this ability. Demons have a similiar ability and only demons that have at least achieved Greater Demon status can even begin to use this ability. The demons call this technique smokestep. "

Samael smiled as he saw everyone following his every word. _I could get used to this._ He allowed himself to enjoy the moment for a few more seconds, under the pretense of taking a breath, and then continued. "There are, for those who don't understand chess, four more ranks of Guided Ones." He held up his fingers as he began to count them off. "Rooks, Knights, Queens, and Kings. I will start with the Rooks."

"Rooks are the Guided Ones versions of assasins. They are given a suit that blends in with the light itself, allowing them to perform missions in broad daylight. I would love to go into detail on how this works but something tells me that it wouldn't be appreciated. They carry leechstone daggers and are the only Guided Ones equipped with shoulder pads that can be manually activated. This allows them to finish their job and leave in an instant. This combination can make them quite a pain to fight." He grinned a toothy smile. "Or you could click the gem and avoid fighting them altogether."

"Knights are pretty much mobile tanks." He pointed at Bowser. "Take this large specimen for example."

Bowser looked around in confusion until he noticed everyone else looking at him. "Who, me?" he asked, pointing a clawed finger at himself.

Samael nodded. "Yes you!" he shook his head as if Bowser was a child. "Knights are roughly your size and are the most heavily armored of the Guided Ones. They are covered in leechstone armor that protects them from most attacks. The armor is coated with silver and gold lining, which keeps to the color code that they so adore. They are the slowest of the ranks, but they sure as hellfire can take a beating." "Unlike the knights of old, they don't carry swords. At least, not exactly. They have a large cannon, if you will, which also has a steel blade on one side of it. This gun is very powerful and is usually named by the Knights. I distinctfully remember one Knight I fought who called it, "Mah Lazer".

A few more people had to laugh at this. Samael shook his finger at them. "Knights are no laughing matter, they can swing this weapon around as if they were on the cheerleader squad." This statement did nothing to convince them, but they played along.

Samael calmly waited for the snickers to die down before ending his lecture. "Finally, we have the Kings and Queens. They are of equal rank and are only seperated by their gender. Both of these ranks are the highest they can achieve and are less uniform than the rest. In general, Queens are fast fighters and Kings are power. I have not had the misfortune to meet either one and for that I'm glad. If either of those two ranks had shown up, I would not have had the pleasure to talk to you today."

A stream of murmurs and mumbling erupted as Samael stepped away from the podium. Master Hand floated above the crowd and motioned for them all to quite down. "If these people are so powerful then why didn't they come and do just that?"

Samael nodded approvingly. "Good question! The reason that they don't do this is because they see it as below them. If they had to take care of every little problem then they would have little need of an army. They refuse to engage in combat with any demon that is below the arch demon level. Not to mention that their underlings are eager to prove themselves and usually perfectly capable to solve the problem on their own."

Master Hand raised his body in question. "How do you know so much about them?" he asked, the question that was on all their minds.

Samael sighed. _It'd probably be better if they didn't know what I am. Gaiden will have a hard enough time making friends._ "I have studied demon lore all my life. I have vowed to seperate fact from fiction, though the task may prove impossible. What I know has led the Guided Ones to want that knowledge. I was their captive a few years ago and decided to do ask them about their organization. They happily told me, thinking that their was no way for me to escape with this valuable information. Their worries did not extend to Gaiden, though. They didn't even know he existed at the time. It's thanks to him that I am not dead today and because of that I will watch over him and protect him, if the need arises." _The best lies have a hint of truth, I always say._

Pit raised his hand. "Are you saying that Gaiden rescued you?"

Samael nodded. "Yes. Your point, young angel?"

Pit stared into his eyes. "Why?"

Samael's smile froze on his face. _Need another lie. I hate being unprepared!_ "Excellent question! Why do **you** think so?" _Stall for time and perhaps take his answer if it's any good. _

Pit thought for a second. "I believe that your lying to us." He said simply.

Samael laughed. _Great, he's gonna be that guy._ He opened his mouth to deliver his hastily made lie but was interrupted by a cold voice. "He's not lying. I merely attacked that base to test my strength. I ran into him on my way through a wall and decided to break him out. He's been following me like a puppy dog ever since."

**Sorry that it's so short. I was busy and wanted to post a new chapter. Expect the next one very soon! Later. **


	12. Chapter 12: Fighting Fire with Fire

**Once again, sorry that the last chapter was cut short. Let's get back to the story, shall we?**

Chapter 12: Fighting Fire with Fire

Everyone stared as Gaiden entered the room, wrappings covering his chest and bandages taped to his face and arms. Gaiden smiled at Pit's shocked expression but felt everyone elses eyes on him. He looked around him and wondered what everyone was staring at. "What?" he asked aloud.

Flair took a step towards Gaiden. "How?" she asked quietly.

Gaiden raised an eyebrow. "How what?" he spat out.

Flair pointed at his chest. "How are you up already? You were stabbed through the chest Gaiden!"

Gaiden was about to answer but Samael interrupted him. "Since I'm an expert on the subject, allow me to enlighten you on Gaiden's speedy recovery." He walked up to Gaiden and began to pull his wrappings off, reaveling the teen's toned chest. It also revealed a nasty scar that looked a couple of days old. "Fast regenerative powers. Not that he could grow an arm back, but Gaiden can heal much faster than any regular human. Within another day, or two, this wound will be nothing more than another battle scar."

Gaiden pushed Samael away. "Back off, I didn't come here to pull you out of the fire!" he snapped. Samael backed off and chuckled. Gaiden only gets this way when theres someone he wants to fight.

Gaiden looked into the crowd, ignoring everyone except the person he came to see. The person calmly returned the gaze and stood up. "You want to do this here or should we take it somewhere else?" Ike asked, sword sitting nonchalantly on his shoulder.

Flair stepped inbetween the two fighters. "No! Gaiden, you just recovered from one fight. Now is not the time to jump into another one!"

Gaiden sighed. She seemed pretty angry. Maybe he should just knock her out? But then she'd be even more of a pain when she woke up. Samael interuppted his train of thought. "Don't even bother Miss Castle." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "If Gaiden wants to fight somebody, then there really isn't anything you can do about it." He watched Ike and Gaiden sizing each other up.

Flair slumped her shoulders in defeat. He was probably right. Then she got an idea. "But Gaiden, your not at your best. Even though your mostly healed, you probably don't want to fight until you know that you'll be at your maximum."

"Your right Flair." Flair heard him say in reply. Maybe this will work after all. This plan was about to backfire. "Which is exactly why I want to fight him now, it will be more of a challenge."

Flair's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "What!?" she looked at Ike. "C'mon Ike, you probably want to fight him at his best right?"

Ike nodded. "I would prefer it..." Flair began to smile. "but I've wanted to fight Gaiden since he beat Pit." He smiled wildly. "And I hate waiting to fight strong opponents."

Gaiden began to tap his foot impatiently. "Same here. So are we going to fight now or wait to enter a stage?"

Ike took his sword off of his shoulder and smiled. "What do you think?" he asked.

Gaiden drew his own sword. "I was hoping you'd say that."

In a flash the two fighters were blade on blade. Master Hand began to move people to the exits. "Get out people, I don't think you'd want to get in their way. Miss Castle, Samael, you need to come to."

Samael shook his head. "I'm afraid that I will have to decline that offer. I want to watch Gaiden fight." Flair nodded. "So do I!"

Hand sighed. "If you insist, but please keep safe." He floated out the door after the rest of the smashers.

Samael pulled a chair up and sat down. "Let's see how these two deal with each other."

Ike grinned as he and Gaiden exchanged blows. "Your pretty fast kid." He grunted as he blocked a heavy backhand. "And strong too, which I already knew." He shoved Gaiden away and his sword began to glow with flames. "But I'm still gonna crush you."

Gaiden drew his own sword back which burst into flames as well. "Lets see you try." Then they began to fight again in earnest The flaming swords flew towards each other and connected with a blast of sparks. Gaiden jumped back and ran towards Ike, swinging his sword as he did so. Ike got ready to block it but flinched in surprise as Gaiden dissapeared. Ike spun around and put his sword in front of him. Gaiden's eyes widened in surprise as Ike blocked his attack.

"Nice trick, got anything else?" Ike asked, without a hint of sarcasm.

A small grin broke across Gaiden's features. "You bet." He drew back and pointed his sword at Ike. The flames on his sword grew even bigger and launched themselves at Ike. The tall swordsmen put his sword in the air an stabbed down. An eruption of regular flames was seen and then the dark blast covered him.

Gaiden watched the smoke and waited. "That was pretty good. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to block it." Ike's voice said from the smoke. His orange blade swung and cleared most of the smoke away.

Gaiden noded in approval. "You countered my hellfire with some fire of your own to reduce the damage. That was fast thinking."

Ike dropped into a crouch and put his sword hand up to his opposite shoulder, the sword far behind him. "I'll show you a fast attack!" Then he flew forward, as did his sword.

Gaiden dropped under the rush attack and rolled behind Ike. His sword flew towards Ike's back but was intercepted as Ike's blade came screaming behind him. Gaiden blocked the blow and pushed Ike's sword away. Ike spun again, using the force of Gaiden's push, and brought his sword around to the other side. Gaiden put his sword point down and placed a hand on the back of it. He then directed Ike's attack upwards. Ike let the sword go, causing it to spin. "Aether!" he yelled and jumped after it. He caught the hilt and then hurtled towards the demon boy. Gaiden charged his flames up and struck Ike's blade with a side cut, taking a step back as he did so. This quick confrontation took place in an instant.

Flair watched from the sidelines with Samael and watched as Ike landed on his feet and sprinted towards Gaiden, his sword swinging in a complicated pattern. Gaiden gave ground before the combination as Ike laughed aloud. Gaiden used his crossguard to stop Ike's attacks and kicked the taller swordsmen in the side. Ike stepped back and chuckled. "Whats wrong, can't reach?" he asked.

Gaiden sprinted towards him and jumped through the air, over Ike's blow. He landed in front of Ike's open body and jumped into the air again, this time kicking Ike across the jaw. Ike flew sideways but recovered by placing a hand on the ground in mid flight and cartwheeled himself a few more feet, landing feet first.

A crowd of smashers began to walk back into the room, followed from behind by Master Hand. "Come now smashers, you really don't want to get in either of these people's way." They waved him off.

"So what? That human girl and old man are watching, why can't we? We are smashers after all!" A barrage of complaints called back at him. He slumped in the air, defeated. "Very well, but let me set up a safe area." With that, the giant hand pushed his palm forward as if telling someone to stop. A clear force field appeared in front of the group of smashers.

Flair walked towards the barrier and touched it with her finger. "Is this glass?" she asked.

Master Hand tutted a finger at her. "No, it is not glass. That would be a very stupid thing to do. If it was glass and one of their attacks hit it, then we'd all be impaled by the shrapnel!" he gave the force field an affectionate rap with his knuckles. "This baby could hold back a herd of rhinos!"

Everyone one began to get settled down, eyes on the fight. All the girls sat down beside Flair. This of course led to them questioning her. "He's just so hot isn't he!" they giggled, pointing at his bare chest. "Have you ever touched his abs before?" Flair's face grew more red with every question, some of which left little to the imagination.

One of the girls who wasn't gossiping away was Samus Aran, who instead decided to question Samael. "Excuse me sir, but can I ask you a question?" she asked politely.

"You already have, but since you obviously didn't mean the first one, you may ask me a second." He turned around as he said this and felt his pulse quicken. _Hello gorgeous._

The blonde haired bounty hunter was in her zero suit and this was the cause of Samael's impure thoughts. "I was just wondering if you could enlighten me on the subject of demons? I'm a fast learner."

_I'm sure you are._ "Well, I'm always happy to teach someone who wants to learn." He crossed his hands in thought and closed his eyes. "Just give me a second to go over what has already been spoken about." Master Hand had informed him about Gaiden's little speech that had ended in his new skylight.

Samus watched the tall man while he thought. _Now here's a man that I could look up to. Most guys are shorter than me anyways. He's smart and I dare say that he knows how to use that sword of his._

Samael opened his eyes again. "Okay, you have already been told about the different class of demons. But Gaiden neglected to mention that there is more than one way for a new demon to be created. There are certain, ah, mating rituals that demons must undergo if they wish to take a mate."

Samus blushed a little. "Did you say mating rituals?"

Samael nodded. "What, you didn't think that they could only reproduce when someone evil died did you?" he smiled. "Do you wish you know more about these rituals?"

The blonde shook her head hurridly. "Oh no, I'm just fine thank you!"

Samel pushed his glasses up and chuckled. _Too bad, I'd be more than happy to give you the details._

He glanced her way to see if she had any more questions. She had instead opted to watch the fight, a deep blush across her face. He followed suit and sighed. _Being old has it's advantages. Then again, every rose has it's thorns._

Gaiden ignored the barrier that he saw the hand erect. He had more pressing matters at hand. Like the man trying to beat him to death with his sword. That man leered down at him as they struggled for dominance. "I think it's time to end this fight, one way or another." He pushed himself away and motioned at Master Hand. "Bring this kid a smash ball! I want to see what he can really do!"

Gaiden glared at him. " I don't need a smash ball to beat you. Perhaps you should take it instead."

Ike scoffed. "Give me a break kid. Right now were pretty evenly matched and you've never used your final smash in a fight!" he grinned. "Besides, I don't need a smash ball to use my final smash." He began to glow with the rainbow aura.

Master Hand opened a hole in the force field and let a glittering sphere float into the room. "Here you go Gaiden!" he called.

Gaiden watched the ball bob towards him. "I told you before, I don't want to use a damn smash ball!" he growled.

Ike raised an eyebrow. "The first time you said you don't need to. Now you don't want to? Which one is it Gaiden?"

Gaiden grumbled but didn't answer. Ike hefted his sword and pointed it at Gaiden. "Fine, if you won't take it willingly, then I'll have to force you to use your final smash!"

He flew towards Gaiden and swept his sword at him. Gaiden dodged the attack and struck out with his own sword. Ike sidestepped and rammed his shoulder into the black haired teen. Gaiden flew backwards and bumped into the smash ball. The ball made a mettalic sounding noise but just floated away. Ike smiled "Thats one hit, lets see how many more it takes for you to get it."

Gaiden narrowed his eyes and attacked. _If that's his plan, then I'll just have to keep him to busy to worry about that stupid ball._ He pointed his sword at Ike and began to charge his fire. With a rush of wind, the deadly flames blasted towards the glowing swordsman. He rolled to one side and sprinted towards Gaiden. With a yell, Ike threw his sword into the air and hit the smash ball. Then he came hurtiling down, smash ball coming with him. Gaiden put his sword up to block him and the smash ball broke on contact. _Damn it!_

Ike stepped back and a huge grin broke across his face. "Thats more like it! I can't wait to see what your final smash is!" he sounded like Christmas had come early this year.

Gaiden felt the power coursing through his body. It was begging to be released, wanting to destroy. Gaiden had to concentrate. Maybe if he used the power, but only a little at a time, then maybe he could pull it off. His face was a mask on concentration as he looked at Ike. "Time to end this." Then his sword erupted to it's full size. He swung it at the blue haired man, just as Ike swung his own sword in retaliation. They jumped into the air, flames leaping from their blades with each hit.

Samael watched Gaiden's face and suddenly grew nervous. "He's holding back." He said quietly.

Flair glance at him. "What was that?"

Samael leaned forward. "I said he's holding back. He's not even using his real final smash."

Samus came over, wanting an explanation. "What? How can that be, this attack is obviously his final smash." She pointed at the fight. Ike and Gaiden's swords where alight with flames and repeatedly crashed into each other. "It's very similiar to Ikes. I can't imagine him doing anything stronger than that."

Samael shook his head. "Imagine that you have a wet towl. You wring it out to get the rid of the water. The more water you wring out, the harder it gets to do it again. Now imagine that your trying to put a fire out this way. Everytime you put water on it, it almost goes out. If you don't put water on it for to long, then the fire will start to spread. This is what is happening to Gaiden right now. Even though this seems pretty powerful, he's barely using any of his power. All he's doing is using that power to launch a powerful attack over and over again."

Flair turned to Master Hand. "Can you turn off the smash ball?"

Master Hand shook. "If we were in one of the controlled stages, then yes. Where we are now, I'm afraid that it's a no."

Samale sighed. "If he loses his focus for even a second, just one second, then we will all see Gaiden's final smash." Unfortunately, one of Ike's friends heard him say this.

Marth stood up and banged on the shield. "Ike! This guy said that Gaiden's not using his final smash! He said that if he loses his focus, then we'll all see it!"

Samael cursed and shouted at Marth. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want your friend to die!?"

Ike nodded at Marth and ignored Sam's outburst. "So this isn't your final smash?" he frowned. "You've been holding out on me Gaiden and now you're going to pay for it." Gaiden was to intent on keeping his power in check to answer. He didn't see Ike's foot come swinging up and smack into his side.

"Oof!" he flew towards the ground and bounced into a wall, his fire dissapearing.

Ike landed on the ground, his final smash had worn off. "Okay kid, lets see your final smash."

Everyone was quiet as Gaiden stood up. Flair looked at him in concern. "Gaiden?" she whispered.

Gaiden's head snapped up and his eyes were completely coated in purple fire. The fire had even started to spread to the rest of his body. "Damn." He said through gritted teeth. "Damn. Damn." his voice was changing, becoming more animalistic. The fire began to cover him. He threw up his head and yelled in a voice that caused people to flinch. "DAMN!" then an eruption of purple and black flames consumed him, turning the area on his side of the force field into a fire storm.

Ike jumped to the other side of the wall and threw up his shield. "Wha the hell is going on?" he yelled. People on the other side stepped back as the barrier began to crack. Samael watched, worry etched on his face. "This isn't going to be good."

At last there was only smoke. Thick, gray smoke that vieled the room from sight. Flair tried to look through the fog. "Where's Gaiden?" she asked.

A monstrous roar echoed around the room. It shook the windows and caused some people to jump in shock. Samael's eyes darted across the smoke. _Where are you. Come on Gaiden, come out and play._

There was a great concussion, like air being beat by giant wings. The smoke began to move away by the force of the wind. The sound of something large moving caught their ears. Then the monster was revealed. People screamed in terror as a giant, black dragon came into sight. It was a big as Giga-Bowser, but much more frightening. It's wings had a single horn on the top, with tattered wings that reminded you of death's cloak. It's chest was composed of sharp 'V' shaped armor plates, getting wider at the top and thinner at the bottom. The beast's feet and claws each had three, sharp claws that were serrated. It had a fairly short tail that had ridges that started at the base and went up the dragon's back. The head was the worst of all. It had two long horns on top that arched back, the same color as it's black hide. It's jaws were long and narrow, almost like a beak and rows of white teeth were visible. Next where the eyes. The eyes where a fiery purple just like- "They're just like Gaiden's" Flair whispered.

Samael nodded and stood up. "Thats because it is Gaiden." He said, a hint of annoyance in his words. "That damned smash ball forced him to transform into his demon form. Now he's more dangerous than before."

Flair shook her head. "What do you mean? Sure he's big and scary, but he's still Gaiden." She looked at his solemn face. "Right?"

Samael shrugged. "It may **be** Gaiden, but it's not the Gaiden you know." He motioned her away. "You should back off now, this is going to get messy." With that he began to glow with blue flames. They seemed more controlled, more friendly than Gaiden's. An explosion of smoke erupted from where he stood and Flair waved her hand to clear it from her face. She saw the shadow of a large beast in front of her. "Samael?" she asked, amazed.

A sarcastic voice echoed in her mind. _"Present."_


	13. Chapter 13: I See Carnivores

**I have recieved some very excited reviews about this latest development. All I can say is...RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!**

Chapter 13: I See Carnivores

Flair took a step back as Samael took a step forward. A large, doglike monster appeared before her. Her head only came up to the things shoulder and it's skin was a dark, deep blue. It had a long tail that was sharp at the end and on the top side. She saw claws that would make a grizzly bear run for it's momma bear and teeth that would make a shark jealous. It's face was fairly long and had a mane of blue fur with a few tendrils that stood out from the rest with spikes on the ends. It also had tufts of blue fur on it's elbows and on it's shoulders. The face looked like a cross between a wolf and a crocodile. The monster before her was absolutley ripped. It looked like it could swat away a bulldozer. What's worse, she could see fire that wasn't really there, demons tearing each other to pieces, and Gaiden. It was the scene where Gaiden had been stabbed through the chest. The Gaiden she saw in this vision was not moving. Tears began to fall down here eyes at the images.

The beast turned his eyes away from her apologetically. _"Sorry about that, but thats how my radiation works and you are without a doubt weak." _

His voice brought her back to the situation and she wiped away her tears. "That's terrible." She then began to yell at him. "And why the hell didn't yo tell me you where a demon? You think that little reveal might have been a little bit of surprise!?"

Samael clicked his teeth at her in irritation. _"Shut it girl! I will gladly give my reasons to you later, but we have an emergency on our hands."_ He cocked his head at her. _"Or did you forget about the giant dragon in the room?"_

Samus watched in fasination as people scooted away from the transformed Samael. "That's quite a change." She said quietly.

Samael heard her and grinned ferally. _"You like?"_ He asked. Then he pulled one of his rear feet up and kicked backwards. The shield couldn't take anymore and collasped. _"Oh yeah...RUN!" _ he yelled happily. His voice echoed through everyone's heads and they gladly complied. They were now in the warpath of a fire breathing monster.

Flair and Samus retreated to the door but stopped to watch. Samael stared down Gaiden as he said calmly. _"Now would be a good time to leave girls. Gaiden is to uncontrollable and I can't gurantee your safety." _ He bared his teeth as Gaiden began to circled him, crouched down like a cat.

With a roar like thunder, the black dragon threw itself at Samael. Sam was smaller though and easily avoided the attack. _"You may be stronger than before Gaiden, but beast form severly decreases your speed." _ He dodged a pillar of fire and launched a ball of sapphire flames in retalliation. _"Please Gaiden, try to pay attention."_ He continued dodging Gaiden's attacks and was soon backed into a corner. _"Oh dear. I seem to have nowhere left to run." _

Gaiden's primal conscious sensed this and growled in triumph. It shot forward, claws extended. Flair watched in fear as Gaiden beared down on the smaller demon. Then Samael reared up. Not only did he rear up, he seemed to grow to the same size as Gaiden. It's paws connected with Gaiden's claws and it roared back. _"Lucky for me, I don't need to run!"_

Samus gasped. "Um, is it just me or did he just get bigger?"

Flair nodded. "At the worst your not alone, I think he's deffinately bigger."

Samael shoved Gaiden away from him and ran to the other wall. He leaned down and came up with someting hanging from his jaws. _"If you plan on staying here then make yourselves usefull and catch!" _ he called and threw the unconscious form of Ike the whole length of the room.

Samus and Flair yelled in surprise and fell to the ground as Ike's large frame collasped on top of them. Gaiden followed the bodies trajectory and his eyes fell on the two girls. It stopped roaring and stared at them. _"Hey girls, have you ever watched Jurassic Park?" _ Samael said in their minds.

They nodded slowly. _"Don't believe everything you see on TV. I'm going to attack him and your going to run like hell, got it?"_ The monster dragon jumped towards them but was grabbed by the tail. It turned around and snapped back at Samael. _"I know that you like destroying artitecture so here you go." _He flexed his neck muscles and threw Gaiden threw a wall. The demon roared in protest and rolled down a hill on the other side.

Samael let loose an unearthly howl and launched himself after him. Samus and Flair gave Ike to another smasher and went to look through the gaping hole. What they saw was truly hard to comprehend. Samael and Gaiden where in a terrifying wrestling match, which involved much fire and roars. Samael yelped as Gaiden bit his foot. _"Dammit! That hurt you little prick!" _ He jumped away from the tussle and shook himself. _"I should probably start trying now." _ His body began to glow with blue flames. Gaiden opened his jaws and began to charge an attack of his own.

Samael blasted towards Gaiden, his entire body wreathed in azure flames. At the same time Gaiden launched a blast of hellfire that made his normal attack look like a joke. Flair wasn't sure who to root for but she didn't want either of them to get hurt. "Don't hurt him!" she yelled, hoping at least one of them would comply.

The purple and black flames covered Samael and he braced himself, his fire standing out against Gaiden's own. _"Allright Gaiden, time for you to learn some manners!" _ He grunted and shot through the flames and clawed Gaiden across the chest.

Blue flames where left in his claw's wake and black blood flew in streaks onto the ground. The flames ceased erupting from Gaiden's maw and he flew backwards. His body fell onto his crumpled wings and he roared weekly. Samael began to shrink back to his original size and didn't stop there. Pretty soon he was back to his human form. Gaiden raised a claw at him but soon began to shrink as well. In the dark dragon's place lay Gaiden, his chest layed open by Samael's claw. Flair and Samus ran down to them. Before they reached him, Gaiden summoned some flame to cauterize his wounds.

"You okay Sam?" Samus asked the older man. He shrugged. "Never been better." He didn't seem to care that he had just beat down Gaiden in his demon form.

Flair walked up to Gaiden who refused to meet her eyes. "It's okay Gaiden, you didn't do anything worse than destroy another room." She smiled weakly at him. "At least you were tall for a little while."

Gaiden looked up at her and he wasn't smiling. On his face was an expression that she never associated with him before. Shame. He stood up and took a step back. "Gaiden?" she asked.

He took another step back. He looked like he wanted to die. "What are you doing Gaiden?" she asked and started to walk towards him. He covered his face and turned around. She tried to wrap her arms around him but he dissapeared. She grabbed empty air and stared at the spot he had just occupied. She fell to her knees as Samael placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Gaiden!" she yelled in grief, tears falling down her face.

**I know that this is somewhat of a short chapter, but it wasn't too bad huh? I'd be glad to hear what you guys think. The next chapter will explain more on what's happened. R&R please. Later!**


	14. Chapter 14: Flashback-Samael's POV

**Well, who would have believed that there was a heart underneath that short, cold, dark, scary exterior! This chapter will not have much of Gaiden in it. See? When Gaiden runs away, even I can't find him! Let's just let Sam give another lecture on what the hell just happened. **

Chapter 14: Flashback-Samael's POV

Samael stood in the dining room now, seeing as the lecture hall had been destroyed again. He had been swarmed with questions that usually went like this. "What the hell just happened!?"

He stood on top of the table and paced. He wanted to sit on one of the end chairs but those white gloves where adamant that their seats be used by them and them alone. He put his hands behind his back and sighed. "Okay. I'm ready for all questions now."

He instantly regretted his words as every brawler began to bombard him with their inquiries. "Why did Gaiden turn into a monster dragon thing?"

"Why did you turn into a dog?"

"Payoo!"

"How in Palutena's name did you beat him?"

"C'mon! Lets-a go!"

"Pika-pi pi?"

Samael nodded with each question, a fake smile on his face. _If they don't stop asking questions at the same time I am going to hit the next person who opens their mouth._ The Hand brothers spared the next smasher of that unfortunate fate by smacking each other in the air. "That is enough! Calm yourselves smashers!" Master Hand bellowed.

Crazy bobbed up and down in agreement. "Yeah! Smash yourselves calmers!" He gave Master a thumbs up as the latter groaned.

Samael inclined his head in thanks and held his hands in the air. "Now, we will do this the old fashioned way. Everyone raise their hands and I will call on you in due time."

Everyone's hands shot up, some putting two up in case it would help. Sam pointed at Mario first. "Yes, Master Plumber?"

Mario straightened his hat and looked around nervously. "Ima wondering if he isa coming back?" he asked, a hint of hope in his words.

Samael nodded. "Gaiden will come back so don't get your hopes up."

More than a couple people groaned in discontent. "I don't want to hear it. Next question!" he called.

Crazy began to bounce up and down, making a noise akin to a little kid when he needs to go to the bathroom. "Fine, Crazy Hand." _This should be good. _

"Thanks a bunch!" He pulled out a sheet of paper and pencil from behind him. He balanced the paper on his pinkie and held the pencil between his thumb and pointer finger. "What's twelve multiplied by the square root of 16?"

"That's not really relevant but I suppose I could answer you. It is only fair that I do so." Master Hand cut him off as he took another breath.

"No! You are not to ask for help with your math homework Crazy!" He apologized for his brother's stupidy and waved Samael on to the next question.

"Very well. Okay, how about you." He pointed at the shivering little space captain.

Olimar gulped as he was pointed out and pushed his air button to clear his sweat. "I was wondering how you can turn into a demon dog thing."

_Finally, a question worthy of an answer._ "That is actually pretty simple as well. The fact is that I'm a demon." He smiled at their shocked expressions. "Did none of you really guess that? I was being chased by Guided Ones, demon hunters. When I introduced myself I expected at least one of you to have heard of me. Didn't you think to ask how I knew so much about demon lore?" he crossed his arms and shook his head dissaprovingly. "Really, it was quite obvious if you think about it."

He continued on as people nodded to themselves. It was pretty simple now that they thought about it. "Technically, I am classified as a Greater Demon."

Flair scratched her head in confusion. "But-" Samael cut her off with a movement and raised an eyebrow. Flair grumbled and stuck her arm up. He motioned for her to go on. "But, what does that make Gaiden then? Is he only a regular demon and that's how you were able to beat him?"

Samael shook his head. "Really? You honestly thought that Gaiden was a regular demon? Foolish. Though he is only half demon, Gaiden is classified as an Arch Demon."

Flair was even more confused. "Then-" Samael sighed in exaggerated weariness. "Hand, Miss Castle."

She threw her hand up and kept talking. "Then how come you were able to beat him? I think Gaiden mentioned that arch demons were stronger than greater demons."

Samael nodded. "That is correct. But the part you didn't know about is that I'm not a regular greater demon." He rubbed that back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. "I was one of the first angels to fall from heaven and let me say that there aren't many of us left now. We are called Ancient demons. This makes me older than Earth as you know it. We can still turn into the other demon forms but we are much more powerful. We also have more, ah, interesting forms of radiation."

He pointed at himself. "For example, my radiation causes weak people to see their worst nightmares. It makes staring contest a piece of cake." He chuckled. "The demon that I mentioned earlier, Asmodeus, was the lust demon and his radiation caused people to fall in love with him. He wasn't good looking by any means but this mattered little."

He looked in amusement at people's disgusted faces. "This made his army completely loyal to him, but they're all dead now. Thanks to Michael."

Pit ruffeled his wings and raised his hand. "Yes, young angel. What is it you wish you know?"

The winged boy glared at him. "Why didn't you tell the truth at the beginning? Why did you wait until now to tell us that Gaiden could turn into a monster!?"

Samael sat down in front of him and crossed his fingers. "Why indeed? I don't know, maybe because of the fact that I don't tell people's secrets unless given permission by said person?" he stood up and walked down the table. "I didn't expect to have to teach an angel morals!" he said outloud.

Pit ignored the insult and raised his hand again. "You didn't answer my first question, demon."

Samael glanced at him. "True. The reason I lied to you in the first place was that it was my secret to keep. What good would have come with me telling you?" he scoffed. "Would you trust me if I had revealed myself to be a demon?" Pit sat back down.

Samael looked around at the smashers. "Anyone else got a problem with it? Afraid maybe?"

Samus raised her own hand. "I'm not afraid. I'm just wondering if Gaiden was telling the truth about rescuing you?"

Samael sighed. "That, Miss Aran, is a good question. Pointless, actually...but a good question." "Yes. Gaiden was telling the truth. I'm sure the next question will involve it so I'll just tell my part of the story." Everyone listened intently as he began. "It started when I ran by a Guided One's base. I had just heard about them and decided to do some investigating of my own. I had grown used to hiding myself and was quite confident in my fighitng abilities. I underestimated theirs. I was not aware that they had leechstone weapons and did not prepare myself accordingly. This lead to my capture." He walked to the front of the table and sat on the end, facing them. "Look in my eyes and I will show you." They all leaned in and were now viewing his memories.

_I've seen apartments with more variety than this. _The cell he was in was certainly clean, not what you'd expect from a dungeon but the Guided One's prided themselves on having the best money could buy. His bed was queen sized with white sheets and pillows. Actually, everything was white. He also had a porcelain toilet and sink. There was also two swivle chairs and a simple desk. The room was barely big enough for him, but it was comfortable enough. Samael sat in his cell, powers drained by his leechstone collar. _It seems my captor's have a sense of humor._ He thought to himself. He looked up as a bald Guided One walked into the room with his dinner. "Ah my favorite Guided One! What's for dinner this time?" The Guided One glared at him and placed the covered plate on his table.

Samael watched as the cover was lifted and a t-bone steak was revealed. He also had mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and a small fruit salad for dessert. He snapped his fingers happily. "Let's not forget my beverage." The man grimaced and placed a tall glass of white wine before him. Samael took up his knife and fork and motioned the man away. "Take the bottle with you, I'll let you know when I need a refill." The man grumbled to himself and closed the door behind him. "I love messing with him." He remarked and started on his dinner.

It was truly the some of the best food he'd had to date. This meant something, seeing as he'd been alive a long time. He soon finished his meal and called out. "Baldy! Get your shiny ass in here!" he chuckled a bit and stopped as the man walked in. Samael smiled at him as his plate and glass were taken away. "Leave the bone, I want something to chew on."

He put the bone in his mouth and started to spin in his chair, thinking. _I wonder when they'll finally decide to kill me? Until then, all I'm doing is eating their food and bugging their people. _He kept spinning as Michael walked in. The man didn't look much different except for the fact that his hair was somewhat shorter. Samael grinned. _And the games begin. _ "Afternoon Michael, at least I can tell what time it is by the food you guys serve."

Michael sat down in the opposite chair and placed both elbows on the desk. "So Samael, you've been here for three days already. What do you plan on doing?"

Samael kept spinning his chair. "Well, now that you mention it..."

Michael leaned forward. "Yes?"

Samael stopped spinning and leaned back. "I was thinking of building a fort, want to help?" He grinned as he said this, bone hanging from his mouth.

Michael sat back in his chair and sighed. "I was hoping for something a little more drastic, but I see that you're just messing around."

Michael smiled. "I guess you're really of no use to us. When an old horse becomes of no use, well, I think you know the rest."

Samael raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys going to put me to pasture? Cause if you do, I'd prefer one without a fence, catch my drift?"

Michael stood up. "Oh I understand Samael, but what you don't seem to be getting is that we're going to kill you. The only party that has recieved any useful information is you and you're not going to live long enough to put it to any use."

He watched Samael's expression curiously. _What do you think of that, demon? Worried yet?_ Samael leaned forward. He seemed to be thinking and came to a conclusion. "Okay. I guess I might as well tell you something. After all, the food was excellent." He held the bone toward Michael. "You want a bite?"

Michael shook his head. "I already ate. Now, what is it you want to tell me Samael?"_ Is he going to tell us what he's been doing for the past eighteen years?_

Samael looked around the room, as if someone might hear him. "Come closer, it's a secret."

Michael leaned forward. "Do tell."

Samael put a hand to his mouth and whispered "I'm getting out of here."

Michael sat back in his chair and laughed. "Really? I don't see how you could possibly escape, unless you consider death such a route!"

The demon laughed with him. "Of course you wouldn't! You don't know everything so how could you possibly see how I'm going to leave?"

Michael kept the smile on his face, but his thoughts were elsewhere. _So, you're finally going to try and escape. Fool. Once we let you leave, we'll follow you. Then you will lead us right to whatever you've been planning for almost two decades. _"I can't wait for you to try." _I knew that if I said we'd kill him, he would have a plan of escape. What he doesn't know is that we are going to help along the way. _

Michael may have been expecting to find out in soon. He just didn't know how soon. All at once, an alarm went off. It sounded like a tornado siren and a voice rang out through the noise. "Alert. Alert. There is a rogue demon on the premise's. All soldiers be on guard. I repeat, there is a rouge demon on the premise's."

Michael sprang up, his chair falling on the ground. "What! How is this possible?" He glanced at Samael. "I don't know if this is some plan of yours but I'm afraid that I will have to leave you for now." _If this is your doing, the soldiers will allow the demon to make it to you. Then you will lead us to whatever it is you've been doing._ He just opened the door to leave when one of the walls exploded.

A large piece of the wall flew into Michael, pinning him to the opposite one. He grunted as he felt his ribs break. The smoke cleared to reveal what looked like a teenage boy. He had spiky black hair and a ponytail on the back. He wore a black cape that veiled most of him from view. He could see the boy's steel toed boots and black gloves. He also couldn't help but notice the small katana in the boys right hand. The boy struck out at Samael, breaking his leechstone collar. Samael rubbed the burn that stood out on his neck. "Appreciate it Gaiden, but would you please explain to me **what** **in the hell are you doing here!?**" he yelled.

_Gaiden?_ Michael thought, as the boy answered, completely ignoring him. "Quit complaining. I just wanted a little practice. I didn't even know that you where here." he said in a cold voice.

Samael shook his head in annoyance. "I thought I told you to stay away from these places."

"When have I ever listened to an order from you?" the teen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Samael growled in his throat and calmed himself. "True. At least not much has changed since I last saw you. The ponytail adds a nice touch. Did a little girl braid it for you?"

Gaiden glared at him. "Are we leaving or not?"

Samael nodded. "Of course, just give me a second. There's something I need to wrap up."

The demon turned towards Michael and assumed a serious expression. "I told you that I'd be getting out of here."

Michael scoffed. "What!? You didn't know this boy was coming. This was a complete stroke of luck and you know it!"

Samael shrugged. "Hey, we ignored you and the least you could've done was return the favor. Such bad manners."

Michael was about to retort but Samael shoved the bone in his mouth. "Here's something to remember me by. Thanks for the food and I won't be paying the rent. Be a sport and take care of that for me." he patted him on the cheek and left through the ruined wall. Gaiden followed right after him.

The Guided One spat the bone out and trembled with rage. "You cocky bastard! How can you hope to leave? You have next to no power and that demon child will die with you!"

Samael and Gaiden ran right by the stunned Guided Ones, catching up as they did so. "How did they manage to capture you? Don't tell me that you've grown senile?"

The older demon glared back. "Respect your elders. The situation was under control until you showed up. Your solution is to just smash everything. No sense of strategy or finesse."

Gaiden scowled at him. "I have strategy but I saw no point in bothering with it against these weaklings. The quickest way was the way I took."

Samael was about to continue but a beam of light flew by his face. "It seems we have attracted attention." he said calmly. He was running much slower than he could because of that damned collar. _It'll take days for my full power to return. I hope we don't run into anything serious._

Gaiden glanced back at their pursuers and threw a blast of hellfire behind him. His eyes widened in surprise as the Guided Ones threw up their gloves and absorbed his attack. "What!? That's not leechstone is it?"

Samael grinned at him. "Now you know how I was captured."

They had just ran through a white hallway that had large pillars supporting the roof. The doors in front of them were wood inlaid with gold. It had no chance whatsoever. They left the wrecked doors behind them and seemed to be in the clear. Gaiden slowed his pace and glanced over at Samael. "I don't see what the big deal was. They weren't that powerful." He didn't notice as two turrets aimed themselves at their fleeing backs.

Samael glanced back in thought. "Yeah...damn!" he noticed the turrets as he glanced back. He remembered what Michael had told him about these machines. _Even if you did manage to make it outside, there will be a set of turrets on each wall that lock on to hellfire. The more you have, the finer the aim. Though you are practically drained, they would still home in on the fire within you. _He might not have much energy, but Gaiden certainly did!

He barely had time to register the flash before two spears of light blasted towards Gaiden's unwary back. Samael jumped behind Gaiden in the nick of time and the took one of the light spears to the side. It stuck and began to burn him. The other grazed his shoulder and cut a deeper wound in Gaiden's shoulder.

The young demon rolled with the hit and swiveled to face Samael. "What the hell-Samael!" he actually had worry in his eyes.

The older demon was lying on the ground far behind him. Gaiden began to move towards him. Samael struggled to stand up and waved a hand at him. "Go Gaiden! They're here!"

Gaiden stopped as Michael appeared beside his mentor. Two large black knights appeared with him. They were very tall and built like tanks. Not a shred of skin was visible and they both carried heavy clay-mores with a barrel on one side. They had pointed visors that had slits for their eyes and the armor was white with gold lining. Gaiden remembered Samael telling him that the armor was pure leechstone. He wouldn't be able to do much against them.

Michael smiled as the teen began to take another step forward. He drew his sword and chuckled. "Get the boy. I'll kill the dog."

Samael called to Gaiden as the black blade was raised above his heart. He was calm and didn't seem to be focusing on his imminent death. "Gaiden. You've never listened to me before but listen to me now." he looked towards his student and grinned weakly. "Run Gaiden." Then Michael's sword entered through his chest.

"SAMAEL!" Gaiden yelled in anger. He launched a wave of black and purple flames at his enemies. The Knights walked through unharmed and aimed their cannons at him. "Nice try, demon!" one said, his voice echoing in his armor. The other one shot forward and smacked Gaiden with his hand. The dark haired teen bounced across the ground shot back up. "AAHHH!" he roared, wreathing his sword in flames. He blasted towards the two knights but was stopped by Michael.

The man's sword streaked upwards and cut Gaiden across the chest. The boy's sword fell from his hand and he dropped to his knees. "We have a room currently available. The former tenant died of mysterious causes." he smiled. "I'm sure that we'll have much to talk about, Gaiden."

He motioned to the two knights. "Cuff him." he said curtly.

They came forward with five leechstone collars and placed them around Gaiden's neck, wrists, and ankles. The metal hissed as it made contact with his skin. Michael watched the Knights carry him away and began to follow them. He walked by Samael but stopped as a hand grabbed his ankle.

"Hmm? Still alive, are we Samael?" he chastised.

The demon didn't answer. "Tell you what. This boy seems important to you. If you live I will let you crawl away from here with your tail between your legs. You can live with the guilt of leading the boy to his death." He kicked Samael's hand away. "I'll kill you later."

The smasher's came back to themselves as Samael finished the memory. "So, does that answer your questions?"

Flair had tears running down her face. "How did he get away?" she said quietly.

Samael shrugged. "How should I know. You'll have to ask him yourself."

The older demon walked away from his captive audience. "I'm afraid that it's past my bedtime. I'll see you all tomorrow." _I hate modifying my memories. It always takes so much energy and concentration. _

Flair sat and absorbed the information that she had been given. "What happened to you, Gaiden?"

**So that was part of Gaiden's past. The next chapter will include more of Gaiden and will focus on his own reflections. It won't be a rewrite but you'll see some parts that are similar. Now you know why he has those bandages. **


	15. Chapter 15: Gaiden's Heart

**I told someone that this chapter would have a fight scene. I also said that it would probably be the best fight scene yet. That is because it's this type of fight is different than the others I've wrote. Now that I've got that out of the way, lets get to the story!**

Chapter 15: Gaiden's Heart

Day had turned to night and Gaiden had not returned. He was, as Samael put it, licking his wounds. Gaiden stood in the middle of a forest, furious with himself. "How could you! You're weak, being controlled like that!" he punched a tree and caused it to start falling towards him. He stopped it with one hand and tossed it to the side.

He yelled aloud and began to run again, destroying trees as he did so. He came to a cleariing and tried to calm himself. "Take control, don't let the anger rule your logic. Be a spectator to your own rage." He sat down with his legs crossed, laying his sword by his side. Closing his eyes, his breathing became so quiet that you could hardly tell that he was even doing so. He went over Samael's lessons in his head.

Gaiden was younger then, only 8, and was desperatley trying to hit his teacher. "Come one Gaiden, speed is your friend. How can you call yourself fast when you can't even catch an old man like me?" They were training in a grassy plain, nothing else visible for miles. Perfect for a demon in training.

Samael dissapeared again and pushed Gaiden in the back, causing the youngster to fall flat on his face. "You're not doing it right Gaiden. How many times have I told you how to use smokestep?"

The boy sat up and glared at him. "Many times. That just proves that it's easier to say it than to do it."

Samael sighed. "You've seen it enough times. Fine. I will show you one more time." He took a step back and the vaguest traces of smoke swirled around his feet. Then he took a step forward. Gaiden blinked and gasped as Samael appeared in front of him, fist drawn back. The older demon smiled as he seemed to be moving in slow motion. Gaiden barely had time to draw both hands up in defense before Samael's left leg came up and sent him flying. Gaiden rolled and flung himself into the air.

"You tricked me!" he yelled.

Samael smirked and dissapeared. Gaiden swung his leg around, sure of where this was going. Samael appeared behind him, his foot in his grasp. "You may be able to guess where your opponent will attack, but you'll need to be able to overpower them when the time comes." He flung Gaiden towards the ground and called after him. "Okay Gaiden, use smokestep or this is going to hurt!" He held his right hand towards the falling boy and a sphere of blue fire came forth. He drew back like a pitcher and lobbed the fire at Gaiden.

Gaiden glanced at the rapidly approaching ground and then back at the speeding fire. "Okay you old fart, watch this!" he concentrated and dissapeared, smoke left in his wake. He reappeared just above the ground and fell on his head. "Ow! What the hell just happened?"

Samael whistled. "Forgeting something?"

Gaiden looked up and saw the blue fireball filling his vision. He put a fist in front of him and hurriedly caught it on fire. "Oni Punch!" he yelled. His fist connected with the ball of flames and it exploded in front of him. The smoke obstructed him from Samael's view, who calmly waited in the air.

He saw a hole appear in the smoke and put an open hand in front of him. Gaiden appeared before him, his face caught in Samael's hand. Samael smirked and flew towards the ground. He drew his hand back and threw Gaiden against the grassy plain. Gaiden just touched the grass before he vanished from sight. Samael spun his legs and connected with Gaiden's stomach as the boy materialized beside him. "That's better, but your being to predictable." He said, a ball of blue fire appeared in his hand.

Gaiden grinned through the pain and brought his elbow up. "I know. I wanted you to hit me." Then he brought it down on Samael's leg. Samael grunted and leaned towards his leg, as anyone would do. When he did, Gaiden's fist smacked into the side of his face. "Gotcha!"

Gaiden was happy. He's finally managed to land a hit on his teacher. Then he saw his teacher's smile. "Whats the point in hitting me if it won't do any damage? If you manage that again, then make sure you make it count!" then the side of Gaiden's head erupted with pain and he fell to the ground, unconsious.

Gaiden opened his eyes, a small smile on his face. Those had been the days that he looked back fondly on. He didn't have many happy memories but this was close enough. Maybe he'd tell Flair about it someday. Then he remembered the reason he came out here. "I have to get stronger. I can't let that happen again." He would have to train with Samael again. He knew that he usually overpowered his enemies, or outsped them, but he also knew that he needed to put a harness on his anger and to learn more self control. "The peaceful art of self control will lead to control over your inner self." He said, quoting another one of Samael's phrases.

He and Samael were both sitting on a tall building, surrounded by the bright city lights. "Why are we here Samael, we can't train in such a crowded area." A Gaiden of 12 years said, looking at the city in distaste. It was too loud for him. He preferred the quietness of the peacfull country.

His mentor sighed. "Training does not mean beating you into the ground while you try to fight back, Gaiden." He grinned at the boy, showing that he was only joking. "Some people may say that the best places to learn how to concentrate is in a quiet environment. I on the other hand, think differentaly. The harder it is to hear, the quicker you'll learn how listen for the things to need to listen to." He stood up and motioned for Gaiden to stay where he was. "I know that you'll move, but stay here until I'm a good distance away."

Gaiden cocked his head at him in confusion. "Why? Are you going somewhere without me?"

Samael nodded. "In a sense. That's the point though. I am going to hide and you are going to find me." He pulled a black cape from behind his back and tore a strip off. He gave the cape to Gaiden, who stared at it. "Your giving me a present?"

Samael nodded. "Well, I can't exactly give it to you on your birthday could I?" he said.

Gaiden shivered. "You can say that again." He pulled the cape on and was glad that it matched his hair. "Thanks, Samael." He said, obviously not wanting to sound to happy.

Samael laughed. "Don't sound so serious Gaiden. You'll have time for that when your older." Then he leaned down and tied the strip of cloth around Gaiden's eyes.

"What the hell!? Samael, I can't see in this! How am I supposed to find you?" The older demon chuckled and walked towards the edge of the roof. "Listen." Then he lept off, leaving the boy alone.

"For what? What am I supposed to listen for?" he felt towards the spot that Samael recently left. "Samael?"

Gaiden shook his head, chuckling. "I was pretty clueless, wasn't I?" he said to himself. His head shot up as he heard, no, not heard. He felt something. There was someone else here and they where trying to hide. "Though not as clueless as some might think." He said quietly. He reached for his sword but couldn't find it. "What?" he looked where he set it and growled. It wasn't there.

He looked around, scanning the forest, but couldn't see anyone. _That doesn't mean there's no one there though. Look for the unnatural or the unusual._ He thought to himself. His eyes passed over two such spots. There was a small fern that was moving ever so gently in the wind. Except the wind was going in the opposite direction. He also noticed a stick that was sticking up at a slightly high angle. _The wind blowing the fern is someone's breath, the stick looks like someone is stepping on it. But there's no one there?_ He smiled. _No one visible that is._ He pretended to look around for his sword and passed by the stick. He could diffenatley feel someone there. Then the stick fell to the ground. _He's moving._ Gaiden stepped around, trying to deteremine which way the thing was going. He was scanning for more movement when a stabbing pain came from his back. He jumped forward, away from the pain.

"I know the feeling of a leechstone weapon when it's touches me!" he glared at the blood spot on the ground as someone stepped through it. "Rooks."

Gaiden wasted no time in using the blood to his advantage. He ran towards the blood spot and began to strike out, giving no predictablily to his attacks. He felt his fist connect with something and saw a dust cloud move into the woods. The sound of crashing undergrowth reached his ears. "Got him." He said.

He used this time to move towards the fern that had been moving. It was no longer moving against the wind. "Damn. Where did this one go?" he hissed, looking for anomalies. He saw nothing of the kind and instead had an idea. It was fall. Why not use the season to his advantage? He stood straight and began to charge some hellfire around him. Not enough to burn the forest down. Just enough to cause a wind, which caused the leaves to fall.

He stood calmly as the leaves began to fall around him. He saw one leaf hit something in the air and attacked. He got cut across the arm but his other one struck the rook in what felt like the stomach. The rook was sent flying and Gaiden saw him hit a tree as more leaves fell from the impact. He heard a noise behind him and jumped away, turning in midair as he did so. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw multiple leaves hitting invisible Guided Ones. _There's more than I thought. I'm going to have watch my step._ He charged some hellfire up and ran towards the large group. He wasn't sure what to hit so he struck the ground instead. Chunks of earth flew threw the air, not to mention more leaves. He saw bits of dirt hover in the air and leaves hitting the same places. Now he knew where to hit.

He closed his eyes and imagined where they where in his minds eye. He could feel them. Now he just needed to give them shape in his mind. He watched, with his eyes closed, as four of them began to fan out. He knew they were because the four in the front where being louder than the rest, trying to cover the noises of their comrades. They wouldn't charge at him. They knew he was dangerous and wouldn't want to risk a lucky shot killing them. He waited for them to draw closer, making no move himself.

When he felt that they were getting ready to strike, he charged up another gout of hellfire around him. Opening his eyes he saw the spots where the knives began to absorb his power. Time to go on the offensive. He slid underneath the two on his right and jumped behind them. He kicked one in the back with his left foot and struck the other in the head with his right fist. He landed, crouching, and charged his fire up again. He saw the other two coming for him and ducked underneath the stabs. He punched both men in the gut and then swept their feet out from under them.

He gave ground, closing his eyes again as he felt the four that had been trying to mask the previous groups sound run towards him. He could tell that two where in front, knives probably held close to their body. They were going to stab. The other two were checking on their comrades. He heard the sound of four gems being touched and could see the flash of light that followed threw his closed eyes.

He punched the earth in front of him and opened his eyes as the dirt sprayed in front of him. _I was right. Now time to act. The dirt won't get in their eyes because of their masks._ He crouched under the first attack and dodged around the second one. He put a hand out and traced it down the man's arm. He grabbed the man by the throat and tossed him as hard as he could. He rolled under the cut that came whistling threw the air. He threw another hand up and grabbed the man's wrist from below. He pulled the man towards him and punched where his body should be. He heard, and felt, the man's ribs crack. He kept a firm grip on the man's wrist and brought his other hand to the man's throat. "I know your not dead so don't bother playing. I can feel you breath." He pulled the man closer and glared into empty space. "Where. Is. My. Sword?" he squeezed the man's wrist tighter with each word, feeling the bones begin to break. He heard the leechstone knife hit the ground as the man released his hold on it.

"Tell me and I might just spare your life. Other wise I'll kill you right here." The man screamed as his wrist broke and was breating heaviliy. "Okay! Just don't kill me!" he sobbed.

Gaiden nodded. "You have my word that you won't die by my hand."

The invisible man took a breath and weazed out. "It was Griffin! He was the one you hit into the tree. He's still there!"

Gaiden pulled the man with him and walked over to the tree. "Thank you." He said. Then he tossed the man away from him. The rook hit the ground in a cloud of dust and hurriedly clicked his own gem. He dissapeared in a flash of light, with his life. Gaiden felt for his sword and grabbed it from the unconscious man's hands. It came back into view as it left the man's touch. Gaiden made sure that it was in good condition before nudging the man with his foot. _Why didn't they dissapear? I vaguely remember Samael saying something about them being able to manuely activiate their gems. Seems dumb. If they were too hurt to push it themselves then they could easily become a prisioner._

Gaiden was suddenly struck by insperation. He remembered Samael giving him his cloak as a present. Maybe he could do something similiar? He pulled the man's mask off, after finding it. He clicked the man's gem and watched as a flash of light signaled his departure. _I didn't really feel like killing him for some reason. Maybe I'm just in a good mood._ He walked back and also picked up the fallen leechstone knife. He wrapped it in the stolen mask and put them both in his pocket.

He then began to run, back to the Smash Mansion. _Perhaps this will help in some way? _ He wasn't about to turn into Santa Claus but maybe if he gave Flair a present she'd forgive him. She may have already done so, or never blamed him to begin with, but he certainly blamed himself.

He snuck into his room, threw the window, and was glad that Flair wasn't here yet. Then he thought about why she wasn't in bed at his time of night. _She's probably up worrying about me, or worse, looking for me._ He felt slightly guilty about that but returned to the task at hand. He grabbed one of his spare cloaks and tore a liberal piece off. He wrapped the mask and knife in it. _What can I use as string?_ He looked around the room until he found a good substitute. He cut the pull strings from the blinds off and used them to tie up the present. He didn't know much about wrapping but he guessed this looked nice enough.

He put on his cloak and shoved the gift under it. _Now I've just got to find her._ He walked into the hallway and began to search for her. He looked all through the mansion but couldn't find her. "Where is she?" he said. Then he got an idea. _I wonder._ He climbed the stairs made his way to the roof. _Damn._ He thought. Flair was up here all right. But she looked miserable. _I did this. I was supposed to protect her! Damn it all!_ He quietly walked up beside her and looked at the moon. Flair didn't notice, she had her head in her hands and was crying softly.

He looked over at her and hesistantly raised a hand. _What should I do?_ He'd never had to comfort anybody except himself and he had a feeling that Flair didn't want to go and destroy something. He instead opted to place a hand on her shoulder. _That's what you do when you want someone to feel better, right?_ He was out of his comfort zone, this wasn't something exactly something he did on a regular basis. She didn't seem to register his hand.

"Go away Samael! I don't want to talk to you." She sobbed through her arms.

Gaiden gritted his teeth. _Great, now she thinks I'm that dog!_ He was uncertain how to react to that and instead pulled the present out. He layed it next to her and backed away. She didn't respond. He slowly left, not comfortable with this situation. _Damnit Gaiden, now your a coward!_ He left down the staris, closing the door behind him.

Flair heard the door shut and lifted her head from her hands. "Why did he have to run? I wasn't afraid of him. I just wanted to-" she stopped as something caught her eye. It was a small package, wrapped in black cloth and tied with –"pull strings?" she said in confusion. The cloth looked familiar and she began to untie it. "This looks like a present or something." She opened the cloth and revealed the mask and leechstone knife. "What? Where did this come from!?" She held the objects in her hands and then it hit her. "This is Gaiden's cloak. He must have came back!" Her eyes watered as she looked at the hastily made gift. She smiled a little at what he must have been thinking. "That hand that was layed on my shoulder. It was to small to be Samael." She turned towards the rooftop door. "Gaiden."

Gaiden was lying in his bed, angry at himself. He had his hands behind his head and his legs crossed over each other. _I'm useless at things like this. What the hell am I going to tell her?_ He sighed. The door to his room began to open and he pretended to fall asleep. He made sure to breath 'rhythmically as Flair stood in the doorway.

Flair held the present to her chest, staring at Gaiden. _He's really back._ She shut the door behind her and layed the gifts on her own bed. She crawled into the bed with him and placed a hand on his chest. She heard his breath stagger for a split second and return to it's pattern just as fast. _You're not really asleep are you Gaiden?_ She thought, smiling. _And your letting me sleep here._ She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the present."

**PA18: Well, well, well...that was unexpected. Hopefully Gaiden will do things like this more often. **

**Gaiden: Don't count on it. This was a one time deal. I'll just pretend like it didn't even happen. **

**Flair: It's okay Gaiden. It's never great to have too much of a good thing. Espcially when there's not much of it to begin with. *kisses Gaiden on cheek again***

**Gaiden: *grumble***

**PA18: How sweet. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone now. **

**Gaiden: I am not a bird. I am going to start beating you now. *PA18 ends up looking like those rooks***


	16. Chapter 16: The Animal Inside

**So, is everyone ready for the old Gaiden? Being nice isn't exactly his thing and personally I'm surprised that he managed it for one chapter. Okay, time for the story to continue. **

Chapter 16: The Animal Inside

Gaiden woke up but didn't bother moving. He glanced to his left and saw Flair sleeping beside him, her hand on his chest. He rolled his eyes and slowly removed her hand. _I've got better things to do than sleep in._ He sat up and jumped off the bed, making sure that he didn't wake Flair up. The demon boy thought about just leaving but decided to write a note first. He grabbed a pencil and paper from their desk and composed a short message. **Training with Samael, don't follow.** He considered leaving it at that but decided to add one final word. **Please.**

Gaiden stepped out of his room and quietly closed the door behind him. Leaning nonchanlantly against the doorframe was Samael, arms crossed. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Gaiden didn't even look at him. "None of your damn business." He began to walk away and turned at the not moving Samael. "Well, coming or not? We've got training to do."

The older demon smiled and followed his short student. "Of course. Why else would you come back?" he looked meaningfully at Gaiden's room and raised an eyebrow.

Gaiden caught his meaning and sighed. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Samael. You know my reasons."

The tall man nodded. "Your going to have to tell her someday, you know that don't you?" Gaiden didn't answer and the older demon shrugged. "I'll see you when you get there." He walked away and exited out the large double doors.

When he left Gaiden reached into his cloak and pulled out a faded picture. It portrayed a young woman that wasn't yet 30 and had long, black hair. She was oriental and so had a light complexion. Her eyes where black and seemed to gaze kindly out of the picture, as if you reassure the young demon. _Mother._ He said to himself. He looked at the picture a while longer before putting back in his cloak. _I'm sorry._

As Gaiden left the Smash Mansion he passed Master Hand on the way out. The large glove was typing on a computer when he spotted the short boy. "Gaiden. What are you doing up so early?"

Gaiden walked by without stopping. "I'm going to train with Samael, allow noone to follow. Otherwise they could die."

The giant hand bobbed up and down. "Sure. I assume that you'll be returning?"

Gaiden glanced back at him and as he opened the double doors. "Yes. What makes you think that I won't come back?" he left without waiting for an answer.

Master Hand scratched his head. "Well, you have left the Mansion twice already and we weren't sure if you'd be coming back then either." He sighed as he noticed that Gaiden had already left. "So impatient."

Gaiden stepped into the cool morning air and took a deep breath. "Now, where have you gone Samael?" He closed his eyes and listened to the wind that blew ever so slightly. He cocked his head in one direction and then turned in that direction. "There you are." He took off like a rocket and left a dust trail in his wake.

Samael stood in the middle of a field, waiting for the young demon to find him. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. _ Hello. _"It seems you haven't forgotten my lessons." He opened his eyes and looked behind him.

Gaiden stood before him, looking determined. "We might as well get started." He said.

Samael nodded. "You're right. But first we're going to have to force you to undergo your demon transformation. You've grown used to holding it in and will need a little...incentive." Samael drew his large sword with his left hand and became serious. "You're not allowed to die."

Gaiden's sword appeared in his outstretched hand. "Until they no longer breath." He answered. It sounded like something that they'd repeated countless times.

Samael shifted his sword and then shot forward. He raised it above for an overhand blow and Gaiden quickly countered. Their swords came flashing towards each other and connected with a loud crash like thunder. A shockwave shot from where their sword met and zoomed across the grassy field, visible as it pushed the brush to the ground. Both demon's grinned and jumped away. They flew forward with blade's beside them. Samael brought his blade in a underhanded side cut and Gaiden responded with slash of his own. They shifted their feet as the metal blades created another shockwave. Then they began to trade blows, each fighter looking for an opening. Gaiden had to fight a left handed swordsman but Samael had to compensate for the boy's great speed. This made them a pretty even match.

Samael smiled through the whirlwind that was their blades and held his right hand by his face. A blue fireball came alive in his palm and he stopped Gaiden's sword with his own, longer crossguard. He thrust forward with the fiery sphere but missed as Gaiden dissapeared. Samael laughed and swept his sword above his head. A clang of steel reached his ears and he looked up into Gaiden's eyes. "Don't you remember what I taught you?" he pushed forward and swept Gaiden away from him. "You're being to pridictable!" he yelled.

As Gaiden flew away he pointed his sword at Samael and launched a blast of hellfire at him. Samael brought his own sword in front of him and it seemed to come alive with blue flames. He cut forward and his blade passed threw Gaiden's deathly flames. "That's more like it!" he growled.

The dark hellfire parted and exploded as it hit the ground beside him. Gaiden fell to the ground and waited. _Here he comes._ Out of the smoke Samael came, sword trailing flames. "Get serious Gaiden!" he called.

Gaiden drew his sword up and black and purple flames sprang up around it. "If you insist." He stood his ground and waited until Samael had closed the distance. Then he ducked under Samael's blow and struck behind him. The older demon felt the blow coming and kept going forward, dodging the attack. He glanced down at his own side and grimaced. _That old wound won't let me turn around as quick as I like. Still, it's worth it since Gaiden didn't die that day._ He turned around and he allowed himself to smile again. "Using an opponents weaknesses against him. That's ruthless, Gaiden."

The younger demon inclinded his chin. "It's what you taught me."

Samael settled into his stance and grinned. "Let's see what else you remember." He dissapeared and a small amount of smoke was all that was showed he'd recently been there.

Gaiden hefted his sword and vanished as well. The grassy plain appeared to be at peace now. Then both fighters appeared in the air, locked in combat. They drew their arms back and were gone once again. They reappeared a small distance away but were gone just as fast. A blast of Gaiden's hellfire filled the air and was answered by a stream of sapphire flames. In a flash, both fighters appeared on the ground. Samael nodded. "Your speed has deffinatley improved."

Gaiden took a step back and hellfire began to flash around him. "Your as strong as ever Samael. We're both going to have to try harder if we wish to get to the point of this training." Gaiden held his sword in front of him and it the fire around it began to grow to a monsterous size. "Don't hold back Samael, I'd hate to hurt you." His face went with his words but his tone certainly didn't.

Samael chuckled and sheathed his own sword. "If you insist." He said, azure flames growing around him. With a flash, the flames exploded around him and smoke coated the ground. The large hellhound walked through the smoke and stretched like a cat. _That's much better. This is the body that feels real to me. _ He looked looked up at Gaiden's large attack and yawned. _Well, lets get this over with. I'd hate to miss dinner._ Fast as lighting he rushed towards the short boy and fired a ball of fire at him.

Gaiden cut the blast in half and charged towards Samael. "You should be worrying about yourself!" he yelled.

The large darkfire sword came towards him, point first. Samael decided to take the easiest route. The claws on his right paw erupted with cyan flames and he batted away the larger attack. The large amount of force that smacked his sword away with apparent ease was enough to send Gaiden flying. The demon dog was right behind him. It sped past the flying boy and Gaiden brought an arm up to defend himself as the monster's paw struck out. Gaiden used his sword to dig into the ground and stop himself from hurtling in a new direction. The fiery blade created a respectable fissure that was charred around the edges. Gaiden growled as Samael came pounding towards him. The demon boy swung the sword through the ground and brought it around for a powerful slash. The blade hit Samael across the face but then Gaiden noticed what really happened. Samael had caught his attack in his powerful jaws.

_Let's play fetch. _ Samael's voice echoed in his mind. The monster flexed his neck muscles and flung the boy into a nearby hill. He opened his mouth and charged a ball of hellfire. Flames danced around his jaws as the ball grew bigger and bigger. _Better do it now Gaiden, otherwise you'll be in trouble._ He launched the fiery death sphere and saw it speed towards the crushed hill.

Gaiden saw the fireball fill his vision and knew that he couldn't dodge it. He felt the familiar burn of his inner self. It could stop the attack. It could save him. All he had to do was let go. Gaiden was aware that this was what they were training for but he hated to give in. The urge to change became to much and he felt himself explode. "Damn it!" he yelled, his voice filling the air.

A huge eruption of fire flew from Gaiden and shielded him from view. Samael's body glew up with flames and Gaiden's fire passed harmlessly over him. _He really needs to learn how to control that. Just him changing can cause destruction. _ He growled instinctfully as Gaiden's roar cut across the plains. _Now the real training begins. _

Gaiden knew what was going on but he had almost no control over himself. He knew what he was doing and he did it with relish. This monster inside him would kill just to kill. It didn't care if the people where weak or strong. It didn't know fear, it didn't know sympathy, it only knew how to kill. This was exactly why he needed to learn how to control it. If he was fighting someone as strong as Samael and was forced to transform to save himself, he was afraid of what he would do. He would certainly kill his enemy but who else would suffer? The only reason he didn't transform against Michael was because of the leechstone sword. It sucked the power out of him before he could even think about changing.

He saw Samael's demon form and roared in challenge. This demon was in his way. This demon was going to die. He flexed his wings and took to the sky. He felt like he'd fought this creature before. This time he would rip it to shreds! He would burn it until it was nothing but a charred husk of it's former self! He would kill Samael!

**And it's a cliffhanger. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. It's kind of short but the next one will be much longer. I also hope that the new story cover is to your liking. R&R. Later!**


	17. Chapter 17: Self Control

**Sorry that it's been so long since I updated! I have been working for days and I was gathering OC's for my new/old story, Brotherly Love. Just to make things clear, if the words are italicized but do not have quotation marks, then the character is thinking to themselves. If the words do have quotation marks, then the demon is talking in the other person's mind. That is how demons of the greater demon level and above communicate. It's way overdue, but here it is, chapter 17. Enjoy. **

Chapter 17: Self Control

Samael watched the transformed demon warily, allowing it to make the first move. _He may be stronger, but he has no control. If he doesn't learn to harness his power then it will eventually consume him. There are demons that couldn't control their natures and they are a danger to everyone around them, including themselves. A demon wishes to do nothing more but grow stronger, kill, and kill again. The stronger the demon, the more difficult the urges are to resist. Gaiden must learn to control himself before he can learn anything else. _The black demon had waited long enough for Samael to go over these facts in his head, but waiting was not this demons strong point. Gaiden spread his wings and took to the air, roaring in challenge as he did so. Samael saw it tilt it's head back, flames glowing in it's maw. _"Predictable." _He said, and his body became covered with blue flames. He stood his ground as Gaiden fired the concentrated blast of hellfire at him and took the blast without flinching.

Gaiden's deadly fire passed by Samael without really touching him. It seemed that Samael's flames could protect him from Gaiden's attack. Samael shook his head as the hellfire died away. _"Hopefully your listening to me. Hellfire can be used as a shield, but beware, it will drain you at a much faster rate than a regular attack." _ He jumped back as Gaiden flew towards his position, claws creating deep gouges in the earth. Samael charged some sapphire flames in his own jaws and blasted a trio of burning spheres at the flying demon. His attack was mostly dodged with a barrel roll but one of the glowing orbs struck Gaiden across the side. It exploded on contact and the young demon beat his wings in earnest, flying clear of the smoke. It aimed it's horrible head at Samael and sent another stream of purple and black flames his way. _"Lucky for you a demon's beast form can take so much damage. In effect, you are a flying tank. You have incredible firepower and your defenses are impressive. But you won't when a fight against an opponent of equal strength if he's thinking and your not." _

Samael jumped in the air and seemed to grow in size, he roared at the winged demon and then disappeared with only the slightest bit of smoke to show his departure. He appeared above Gaiden and struck him in the back with his front paws. _"Why do I get the feeling that your even not listening to me?" _ He asked, almost to himself rather than to Gaiden. The black dragon screamed in answer as it fell to the earth. A dust cloud erupted from the ground as Gaiden struck the burnt plains. Samael landed on the ground next to it and growled in the clouds general direction. _"Don't give me that! Get out of there and tear my head off!"_ he yelled, waiting for the young demon to emerge.

Gaiden was not amused. _He would kill this demon for his insolence. He would do more than rip his head from his shoulders. He was going to rip Samael's spine out along with it! This demon that had caused him pain would scream for mercy under his claws! He was going to enjoy coating this entire field with Samael's blood._ Gaiden's demon side grinned through the dust. It growled low in it's throat and prepared itself. He lifted his wings and slowly, quietly, began to flap them.

Samael watched the dust cloud with growing annoyance. _"Stop wasting time in there Gaiden! You do know that you father will be visiting you in exactly one month?! What will he think when his son can't even control his beast form? Who do you think the blame will fall on, me who else?" _ He spat in Gaiden's direction. _"__But you don't care about that right now, do you?"_ He said more quietly. His annoyance evolved into anxiety. _He's been in there to long. What are you planning, Gaiden? _He was quickly answered as Gaiden flew from the dust cloud and struck out with his talons. Samael slid back as the claws grazed his throat. _"That was almost too close!" _He fired a couple of hellfire blasts to give himself some breathing room.

_His demon instinct used the cloud to cover his actions which he then used to get as close as __possible. But the dust cloud wasn't that large. He must have made it bigger by kicking up more dust with his wings. The demon is a terribly clever predator. _He grinned at his own joke. _"Hah. That was a funny one."_

For a moment he had thought that Gaiden had some semblance of control, but it was merely the demon in him using the instincts that it had inherited at birth. Still, it was better than nothing. _"I'm hoping that by taking on his demon form more frequently, he might get used to it and learn to control his baser instincts." _

He jumped away again and groaned. _"Which means I'm going to have to do this for a whole month. Sounds like one hell of a vacation." _

The lupine-like demon bunched his shoulder muscles and rolled his massive head. _"Okay. I don't want to do that. Let's try something different, shall we?" _ he grew to a size that made him dwarf the younger demon.

_"I think this is big enough." _He glanced down at the smaller demon in amusement as it didn't even shirk back from his increased stature. _"This is why you need to learn to control yourself. The real you might now realize that the battle has become more difficult. Then again, you might have been able to exploit the weakness that a larger opponent has which is to say, decreased speed." _ He began to pad towards Gaiden and his dragon like student didn't hesitate to attack. It let loose a pillar of hellish flames which impacted on Samael's wide chest. Samael didn't even break his stride. _"In __Pokemon__ terms, it wasn't very effective."_ he chuckled.

The demon side of him didn't care that his opponent had somehow grown to an even more monstrous size than himself. His demon side didn't take into account his adversaries increased size and strength. So Samael wasn't surprised when the smaller monster launched itself towards him with absolutely no thought on what would happen if he did so. _"And...rejected!" _Samael said happily as his left paw shot up and slammed Gaiden to the ground. He leaped onto Gaiden's side and used both is paws to pin the other demon under him.

_"Now. Look into my eyes Gaiden. This trick has never worked on you before but now I think it has a chance of succeeding." _He looked Gaiden in the face and his young pupil glared back at him. _"No homo." _ The older demon couldn't help it. He'd lived too long to not develop a sense of humor.

Gaiden glared daggers at his teacher. _Let me up so I can kill you! I will make sure to make your death an ordeal that you'll not soon forget! _He tried to put the full force of his intent behind the glare but found himself instead being drawn in to a different world. He could see fire. It resembled his in color but there was something more sinister about it. Something that made even his blood thirsty demon side tremble in fear. The he saw Flair. He could see her, standing alone among the flames. She had her back to him and he called her name. _Flair. What are you doing here? You could get hurt or killed! _ The Flair in his world turned around and she smiled at him, the fire reflecting itself in her eyes.

The words that came out of her throat struck him to his own, dark soul. _But Gaiden, that could happen when I'm with you. _She looked down and he followed her gaze. His sword was sticking through her chest and he was holding it. He saw her blood begin to travel down the length of the blade and make it's way to his hand. _No. NO! This isn't happening! I wouldn't do this! FLAIR!_ He yelled inside himself, sorrow flowing through his veins.

Then the world was clear. There was no fire, no blood, and no Flair. There was only Samael, his gaze now broken away from him. He glanced down at Gaiden and his jaws parted slightly, his own chilling version of a smile. _"Well. It seems like my hypothesis was correct." _ He pulled himself away from Gaiden and sat down, solidifying his image as a hell hound.

Gaiden climbed to his feet and shook his head, growling. _"That's just a fancy word for a guess. Idiot." _He glared at Samael as his mentor began to laugh. _"Whats so damn funny?"_

Samael controlled his mirth and looked slyly at him. _"You. Have you not realized how your communicating or how much...taller you are?" _

Gaiden glanced down at his body and hid his surprise at what he found. He was in his demon form. To make matters worse, he wasn't trying to kill Samael. _"I noticed. I just didn't think it was worth __mentioning." _

Samael barked out a laugh. _"Complete shit Gaiden. Complete shit."_

**And we'll leave it at that. So was that worth the wait? I honestly didn't finish this chapter but that just means that you'll get another one soon. Until then, R&R and stay tuned for Chapter 18. Later!**


	18. Chapter 18: Bloodlust

**So, it appears that Gaiden has gained control of his demon side. Hopefully now he can contain the urge to kill everyone who gets in his way. But has Gaiden really learned to control his bloodlust? **

Chapter 18: Bloodlust

Gaiden and Samael didn't bother to finish the fight that they started and instead made their way back to the Smash Mansion. Samael glanced at his young charge and noticed the unease on his face. Not many people would be able to tell, but Samael had been around Gaiden his entire life. The slightest twitch of an eyebrow, the narrowing of eyes, or a few muscles moving in his jaw; it spoke volumes to him and gave him a good idea of what Gaiden was thinking. "Something on your mind Gaiden?" he asked, making sure to not sound too interested. That would just get him an annoyed 'nothing' in return.

Gaiden nodded. He was feeling the urges that always threatened to spill over him. They became more prominent in battle and after he took his demon form. That was one of the reasons that he ran away from Flair. He was not only ashamed. He was blood thirsty. If he hadn't left, he would have probably killed one of the other smashers. He didn't really care about them but he was afraid of what he might have done to Flair. If he killed someone strong, he could very well go on a massacre. The only reason he didn't feel this way when he killed the weak demons was because they didn't give him the thrill that came with a real battle. He hardly considered them practice. "The urges are calling to me Samael. They want blood and our little fight did nothing to satisfy them."

Samael looked towards the horizon in thought. He couldn't bring Gaiden back to the Mansion if the young demon didn't trust himself. This was a problem that could only be solved by two ways. The first was simple; allow Gaiden to hunt. He put it that way because that was how demon's thought of killing. It was a game that they all relished in. He could also try and make Gaiden meditate. He had used this training before but it hardly ever worked. Still, it was worth a try. "We will stop here. Sit on the ground and try to think Gaiden. Rational thoughts and calm feelings can sometimes quell hunger. If you feel that you may attack me at any moment, then tell me and we'll move to plan B."

Gaiden closed his eyes and sat cross legged on the ground. He put his sword down by his side and layed his arms on his knees. Samael nodded in affirmation. "Breath. That helps sometimes." Gaiden began to take deep breaths, holding them for a few seconds, and then exhaling.

Samael sat down beside him and mimicked Gaiden's postion. Their animalistic fight had left his demon side slightly, he couldn't find any other way to put it, aroused. He began to breath and closed his eyes. _I can control my inner demon much easier than Gaiden can. Age and experience makes it easier and I have lived a long, long time._ He opened one eye and looked at the silent Gaiden. _He is still very young, as demons go. It must be quite the challenge to not kill everyone he comes in contact with._ He smiled at the mention of death. He shook his head than and resumed his breathing. _No. Don't think about it that way. Be calm. Killing people doesn't solve anything. _His voice in his head became more demonic. _But it's such good fun._

Gaiden was struggling to stay still. He opened his eyes and noticed that his hand had drifted over to his sword. "Samael." He said quietly.

Samael grunted in answer. "What's plan B?"he asked.

Samael sighed. He stood up and dusted the dust off his pants. "Plan B will be more, ah, imaginative than this but it might do something to calm yourself." He drew his sword and pointed in front of him. "I'm going to open a gate and allow some demons through." He smiled. "Then you can kill them."

Gaiden hid his impatience for battle under a veil of boredom. "Fine. If you think it will help then lets get on with it." His hand had already draw his sword halfway out of it's scabbard.

Samael nodded and concentrated on his sword. A small bit of hellfire appeared on the point and he slowly began to bring his sword down in a line. The fire remained in the air and followed the blade until there was a large line of fire before him. "I can feel demons gathering towards the gate. They have no idea that they're about to step into a whole different version of hell." He then slashed his sword across the flames and the fire opened like a fresh wound.

Samael jumped away as a multitude of demons began to pour from the opening, much like blood from a cut. "They're all yours, Gaiden."

Gaiden drew his blade and waited for the demons to notice him. It didn't take long. "Look boys! A puny human appears to be greeting us. We should return the favor in kind." The demons began to edge towards him, expecting to see fear on his face. There was only bloodlust.

There was approximatley two dozen demons. Large, horned monsters that came in various sizes and looked plenty capable of murder. Gaiden narrowed his eyes in irritation. "There isn't enough." He sighed and began to walk towards the group of demons. "This will only take a moment." Then he was upon the first of the demons.

The ones in the back laughed as he spoke. That was, until the ones in front sreeched in pain. Gaiden had cut the first demon across the face, black blood dripping from his blade. "I'll have to take my time if this is to satisfy me." He said coldly.

The other demons roared in rage. How dare he attack them!? He was the prey! How could such a puny human slay one of their number? Samael decided to inform them of who their enemy was. "Sorry to dissapoint you, but this little guy isn't human. At least, not half of him. He is half demon and the spawn of the ruler of the demon world, Beezle."

The demons started in surprise as this new man revealed himself. Then his words hit home. Fear spread threw them like a plague. "No! I don't want to be here! Open up the gate!" They screamed as they began to stream towards the opening.

Samael cut them off, literaly. The first demon was cut in half and promptly exploded into smoke. "I'm afraid that you can't leave." He smiled cruelly. "Unless you consider death such a route." He began to laugh. "Sorry that I took that one Gaiden. I'll be closing the gate now." The flames dissapeared and with it did the demon's escape route.

Gaiden ignored him. "To make this worth it I'd prefer it if you would all just attack. All at once." His voice cut through them like a knife and they realized that they didn't have any choice.

They argued loudly about who would go in front and the smaller ones were bullied into doing so. Gaiden sighed and began to walk towards them again. "I'm done waiting."

He jumped into the middle of them and grabbed the nearest demon by the throat. It was the same one whose face he had cut. "You will be the first of my victims." Gaiden stabbed the demon through the chest and the demons jumped back in shock.

"How did he get there? He was in front of us a moment ago!" The one's behind the impaled demon where frozen in fear by the sight of the blade piercing their comrades back.

Gaiden smiled as he saw their looks of terror. "You seem afraid. Perhaps I should relieve you of that burden?" His sword erupted in hellish flames and burnt the demon to ashes. The flames didn't stop there; they blasted forward and obliterated the demons who had been in front of him. "You can thank me in the afterlife." His grin became more feral. "But wait, do you come back if your already in hell?" he laughed. "It doesn't matter. Lets just move on shall we?" he glanced at the remaing demons.

He dissapeared and appeared behind one of the cowering demons. It didn't notice him until his hand entered it's back and exited through it's chest. It looked down and saw Gaiden's bloody hand. It opened it's mouth in a silent scream as it began to dissolve. "I tried to find your heart on the way through, but I guess demons don't have any." He withdrew his hand as the demon collapased into smoke. Gaiden looked at his bloody hand his face was lit with a manic light. "They do bleed and, as they say, if it bleeds then we can kill it."

The other demons began to see that defense was not an option. The only avenues left where surrender or attack. They quickly tried the first one. "Please young lord, have mercy on your subjects! We will serve you if you will but spare our useless lives!"

He looked at them, putting his bloody hand on his chin in thought. They felt hope. "If your lives are useless then why would I have need of you?" that hope just turned to dispair. Gaiden didn't bother to wait for an answer and decided to continue the carnage.

He jumped in the air and sent a blast of hellfire into their midst. "The only use you have for me is to die!" he yelled. Most of the demons scurried away from the attack, he had fired it slowly on purpose, except for one unfortunate fiend. The fire completely consumed him and he evaporated before he could scream.

By this time the number of demons had been reduced by about a third. There would soon be much less than that. Gaiden extiguished the flames on his sword. _This way there will be more blood._ He said to himself. Samael watched as Gaiden began to butcher the demons, making sure that they weren't wounded enough to die, just enough so that they would be in pain. He thought for second that maybe he shouldn't have allowed Gaiden to fuel his bloodlust. Then he chuckled. "Beezle charged me to raise him and this would probably meet his expectations." He frowned. "Then again, it's not like I had much of a choiceK" he decided to cheer himself up by making a joke. "Much like those demons, except I was allowed to live."

Gaiden felt as if he was draining himself of the bloodlust that had threatened to consume him earlier. It was as if, with each demon he killed, he was slowly becoming himself again. When only a few demons where left he decided that he had finally quelled the feeling. " Time to end this." He brought his sword aflame and struck down the remaining demons with a slash of burst of hellfire. He ended their lives quickly, not really caring if they suffered anymore.

Samael dropped down beside him an put a hand on his shoulder. "Have fun?" he asked good naturally.

Gaiden shrugged the hand off and sheathed his sword. "Shut up. I just didn't want to go to the Mansion in that condition. I really didn't have much control over myself."

Samael nodded. "I wouldn't have allowed you. I know that you care about her."

Gaiden didn't need to ask who he meant. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone." He looked back at the destroyed landscape. "I don't want Flair to think I'm like my father."

Samael sighed. "That would be just perfect. Another powerful killer who has no sympathy or remorse." He glanced at Gaiden. "Though I believe that is what most people think you are."

Gaiden shrugged. "It's true. Didn't you here, like father like son." He spat and began to walk towards the Mansion.

Samael watched him before he decided to follow. _Your not your father Gaiden. You care about someone and you prove it every day._ He put his hands in his pockets and followed the young demon.

**I was thinking that Gaiden had grown to soft. He is a killer after all and I thought that maybe it was time to bring that aspect of him back to the forefront of his attitude. This chapter was to just show that he still has trouble dealing with his demon side. He might have gained control over his beast form but someone's nature is very hard to change. R&R. Later!**


	19. Chapter 19: To the Beach

**I know that it's been too long since I've updated. Let's just say that the past week and a half has been hell. This chapter will be more for humor and that's almost it. Expect awkward moments. Oh yeah, I haven't done many disclaimers but I don't own Sport's Illustrated. Enjoy.**

****Chapter 19: To the Beach

Flair watched from the Mansion's rooftop, eyes scanning the distant horizon for a certain young demon boy. He had been gone almost all day and it was starting to get dark. The sun had began to drop and was slowly trying to hide itself from the world. It still gave light to ending day and Flair would watch until the inevitable darkness would descend, reigning supreme in the cold night. She sighed and sank down into her chair, crestfallen. "He said not to follow him and I know that it's probably because he cares about me but..." she wiped one of her watery eyes. "But that's all I can think about doing now."

The red headed girl took one last look at the slowly disappearing sun and then turned away. She went to walk down the stairs but stopped as she opened the door. She looked back and groaned. She forgot to grab her chair. Flair allowed the door to shut and traced her steps back to the forgotten chair. She bent over and folded the metal stool together and made to stand up. As she did, a black shape appeared in the corner of her eye. She dropped the chair and it clattered on the ground, creating a commotion that she completely ignored. "Gaiden?" She ran to the edge of the rooftop and put her hands together over her mouth, shouting. "GAIDEN!" she yelled with glee.

A small, black figure had appeared on the horizon. A much taller figure, turned black as well by the sunlight, followed behind. The tall figure raised a hand in answer and the smaller suitably did nothing to acknowledged her call.

Samael put his arm in the air and gave a small wave. "Seems like your not going to get that silent entrance that you're so fond of." he chuckled, putting his hand back to his side.

Gaiden closed his eyes in irritation. "It seems not. I was hoping to slip in unnoticed and greet her when I felt like it." He opened his eyes and glared as the giant mansion. "Now everyone's going to want to know where I've been."

Samael raised an eyebrow in question. "When you felt like it? What is that suppose to mean?"

Gaiden didn't supply an answer and Samael pretended to think about it. He rubbed his chin in an exaggerated manner and then appeared to have found what he was looking for. "Ah, you mean you had other plans and weren't going to say hello until you could gather up the courage needed for such a feat?"

Gaiden glared at him out of the corner of his eye, something that he did quite often. "I'm not afraid! I know that your trying to joke around Samael but when has that ever worked with me?"

Samael rolled over ideas in his head, for real this time. "Nothing comes to mind but I 'll make sure to bring it up whenever you least want me to, if it can be found that is."

They finally made it back to the Smash Mansion and they were greeted by a few smashers and, naturally, Flair. Master Hand waved them in, trying to shake of some of the inquisitive Smashers. "Where have you been all day?" Link asked.

"Was it somewhere fun and sunny, like the beach?" a day dreaming Peach questioned.

"If you went to the beach, were there hotties there?" an equally day dreaming Snake interrogated.

"I hate the beach, well, that's not entirely true. I just hate the water." The blue hedgehog shot off with rapid speed.

Samael tried to find the source of each question and explain but was unable as more took there place. Flair looked at the two demons in sympathy and forced a smile onto her face. Gaiden just closed his eyes again, trying to ignore the babble around him.

"QUIET!" The godlike glove thundered, thereby ending the stream of questions and nonsense. The silence that followed only allowed more nonsense to ensue however.

Crazy Hand came rocketing down the stairs, flip flops on two of his white digits, a beach ball curled under one his thumb, a towel wrapped around his pinkie, and a straw hat over the top of him. "Did somethree say beach!?" He stared at the astounded smashers. "What are you all fish mouthing me for? Get almost naked!"

If he could Master Hand have face palmed he would have. Some of the smashers thought he meant something else and the ones who didn't wear clothes were somewhat confused. The less twitchy of the two gloves hovered above the poor smashers. "He means get into your bathing suits, it appears that we shall be going to the beach. Past experiences have taught me to just go with it. Otherwise Crazy will flood the house and dump dirt everywhere." He seemed resigned to the idea but the smashers where ecstatic.

They all quickly rushed to their rooms, gabbing about who was supposed to bring what. Flair went up to Crazy Hand and reached into her pants. She withdrew a bottle of nail polish and dumped it into the eager hand's palm. "You held your side of the bargain and I will up hold my own." The giant glove twirled in the air like a ballerina and flew up the stairs, yelling gleeful gibberish.

Gaiden's eyes widened slightly. Samael began to clap. "Bravo Miss Castle, you are more devious than I ever imagined."

Master Hand pointed at her and began to shake his finger. "Do you know how hard it is to keep that stuff away from him? Not to mention the fact that he always ends up trying to polish my nails after he's done with my own." He sighed and floated up the stairs.

Flair chuckled and then turned back towards the demon hybrid. "I knew that you didn't want an entrance like that so I bribed Crazy to create a distraction." She winked as he shook his head in wonder. "I also made sure that you will now have to spend the whole day with me. You've already been training to much and this is just what you need."

She grabbed him by his arm and pulled the stunned boy behind her, talking about how she would have to find swimming trunks for him. Samael stood in the now empty room, impressed. "A schemer after my own heart. Gaiden sure is lucky to have her."

After all of the smashers had assembled by the train, the Hand brothers floated above them all. "All right! Today, thanks to Crazy, we will all be taking a vacation. Don't expect something like this often. I have rented the beach for the day so enjoy it! I want to make it perfectly clear that there will be no fighting!" He looked pointedly at Gaiden. The young demon ignored him, glaring at the trunks he had been given. They where bright orange and had white Hawaiian flowers sprinkled around them. He had also been given a pair of white flip flops. Flair had insisted that he couldn't wear his boots to the beach. His dark cloak had been discarded as had his gloves. She also refused to allow him his regular shirt. It was gray, sleeveless, and had a black dragon design going down one side. She said that it didn't match. Whatever that means. He had instead been forced to wear a white t-shirt that had yes, another flower. A great, big, orange flower that had white filling in the outline. Absolutely ridiculous.

"I don't see why I can't go to the beach in my own clothes. I feel almost naked without my cloak." She couldn't force him to leave his sword. He was bringing that no matter what she said.

Samael rolled his eyes. He himself wore his regular white wife beater and dark blue trunks with a canine skull on one leg. He had a pair of brown flip flops and white towel over his shoulder. "That is what people wear to the beach Gaiden. Besides, I think it makes you look cute." His face became a blank mask as Gaiden glared daggers at him.

"Call me cute one more time and you'll be spending this vacation six feet under sand." he seethed with venom.

It was Flair's turn to roll her eyes. "Honestly Gaiden, Master Hand said no fighting and you've already started before we've even left." The red head was wearing her tight, khaki shorts along with a pink tank top. She also had a pair of turquoise sandals.

The rest of the smasher were similarly dressed, except for those who didn't wear clothing anytime of the year. Master Hand counted them up and then began to rotate them onto the train. "All right people! All aboard and don't forget that the Smash Tournament starts in just one week! Make sure you don't injure yourself. You don't want to have a handicap when you're this close to the competition!"

After the smashers had all squeezed into their compartments, the train set off. The whistle went of with a shrill shriek and smoke began to pour out of the smoke stack. "And we're off folks! Please keep your heads and butts inside the ride the whole time! Don't forget your sun lubricant and nighttime glasses!" and with Crazy's final announcement, the trip had begun.

When they finally arrived, the smashers poured out of the train, eager to enjoy themselves. The boys tore of their shirts and threw themselves into the waves, while the ladies took off significantly more clothing and began to sun themselves.

Samael walked along the shoreline, walking away from the waves as they came forward and following them as they dropped back. He noticed Samus reclining in a beach chair, hand's behind her head and eyes closed in content. "Now that's what I call zero suit Samus." he said quietly. The voluptuous woman was wearing a two piece bikini that was as deep a blue as her zero suit. Her legs where crossed over one another and her white skin glistened in the sun. His eyes traced up those long, toned legs up to her fairly muscled stomach and of course to her suitably large breasts. Samael began to unconsciously pant like a dog but quickly gained control of himself. He sauntered over to her chair and laid back in the one next to her. Snake and Captain Falcon watched from the water, eyes glued to luscious bounty hunter. The captain was wearing a purple speedo which was, thank the lord, hidden under the water. Snake was of course wearing camouflage trunks.

"I must say Miss Aran that this suit complements you much more than the ones that I previously saw you in." She opened her eyes and glanced over at him. He grinned and looked towards the blue sky.

"And I must say that I am surprised, Mr. Samael. Most men are to scared or to perverted to talk to me when I wear this particular suit." She rolled onto her side and stared at him. "And none of the ones that would would have the courage to speak about my body." She ran her own eyes down his tall, muscled frame. _I must say that having no shirt complements you very well, Samael. _

He leaned onto his own side, chuckling. "I believe that a woman knows she is a woman. If a man can't admit that a certain something, or somethings as the case usually is, has caught his eye then he isn't a man at all. He is a coward."

When he rolled over he revealed a large wound that looked years old. It was scarred over and roughly the size of her hand. Samus's eye's widened in shock. "So your wound is still there." she said, speaking her mind.

Samael's smile faltered. He glanced at the scar and lay back down. "Yes. The energy that the Guided One's use is deadly to demons. I haven't been able to fight as well since. It won't allow me to turn as far as I wish and I changed my fighting style accordingly. Not an easy thing to do when you've been alive as long as I have."

Samus could tell that the memory saddened him and she decided to bring up a different subject. "So, how did the training go with Gaiden?" She was going to set out and find them but Master Hand had told her that it was to dangerous. She had been instructed to stay in the Mansion.

The older demon considered it and shrugged. "I don't see why I can't tell you. It's not like it's a problem anymore. I was helping Gaiden gain control of his demon form. We succeeded, but I'm not sure if he still has control."

Samus gasped. "You mean to tell me that you where fighting him again? That doesn't sound safe!"

Samael laughed. "I appreciate the concern but Gaiden isn't much of threat whenever he isn't thinking. At least, not against me." he smiled roguishly. "If he where to be coherent then I might have a bit of difficultly with him but for the time being I am the stronger of the two."

Samus smiled in relief. "I guess we won't be worrying about much when you guys are around." She sat back and closed her eyes again, smiling.

Samael glanced at her and sighed. _If only that were true._

Gaiden hadn't moved from Flairs and his spot. He sat in the shade of an umbrella, unsmiling. "Why did we even come here? I see no reason in this vacation and have better things to do than play in the water."

Flair went over and sat down beside him. "We all have better things to do Gaiden, but we come to the beach to forget about them. The fact that we don't have to do anything while we're here, that we have nothing that requires attention, that is the reason for being here. To leave our cares back home."

Gaiden stared at her. _There are so many things that I want to forget. But whether we forget them or not, they will still happen._ He shrugged. "Fine. You win. What are we going to do to...forget?" he asked this question sincerely.

Flair smiled. "Where going to go play in the water!" She giggled and began to pull off her out clothes. Gaiden pulled off his shirt and stopped with it over his head, staring at Flair. She was wearing a

pink top that barely covered her now lightly tanned skin and a pink bottom that tightly hugged her waist. Though he wasn't nervous, Gaiden had never seen this much of the female body before. He was genuinely curious. Flair followed his gaze and blushed. "Gaiden, I didn't expect this of you but don't you think you're being a bit obvious?"

Gaiden caught her meaning but didn't look up. He looked down at the bottom and then back to the top. He seemed almost confused. "I was under the impression that people wore clothes to cover their bodies. Why do you wear such revealing clothing?"

Flair began to blush even more. "It's called a bikini. Well, guys have more...in between the legs than girls and need more clothing. We have more on top and so need to...cover ourselves." _God this is just to funny. _

Gaiden pulled his shirt the rest of the way off and began to pace around her. "The first thing you said makes sense but why would girl's wear almost nothing when they have more on top than guys?" he grabbed the string that tied the top on. "This doesn't seem very safe. It looks as if it could easily come off. Was it made that way on purpose or is it just poor work?"

Flair turned around and narrowed her eyes slyly. "I don't know. Maybe it works better than you'd expect." she grinned. "Maybe you should give a go Gaiden. Test it."

Gaiden narrowed his eyes in return. He was getting the feeling that she knew something he didn't. But he would prove that this _bikini _truly no match for him. He walked behind her and studied the knot. He grabbed the knot and in one movement pulled the string free. The two strings fell to the side and he grinned in triumph. "I told you. These bikini's are poor excuses for clothes."

Flair turned around, barely containing her laughs. Her...knockers...where hanging loose in the bikini top and she held her arms under them like a Sport's Illustrated Girl. "It seems you where right." she said in a slow, suggestive voice. Gaiden's eyes hadn't grown in size but they were certainly focused on the things in front of him. A slight blush began to grow and he did what he always does when faced with defeat. Run away.

Flair laughed out loud as Gaiden disappeared in an instant. She hadn't missed the blush though. She tied her bikini back on and sat down, giggling. "It seems your not as completely void of emotion as you would have us believe."

Pokemon Trainer Red and Pit were both goggling at Flair's lithe figure. "I want to battle her...in a human battle(this is a salute to Ruby1996)." Red gasped.

Pit seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "I must resist temptation. I am an angel. I must resist temptation." the young angel repeated to himself.

"You two should have kept your mouth's shut. Otherwise I might have spared you." A cold voice spoke behind them.

Both boys looked at each other before looking behind them. "Sorry, please don't kill us!" They barely manage to get that out before the duo where grabbed by the hair and skipped across the water like stones.

Gaiden dusted his hands off and a small smile appeared on his face. "I must admit. I enjoyed that."

**I hope that this chapter was amusing to you and that you won't hate me for starting off with no real fights. I was in a playful mood and this sounded like a good idea. After all, I pretty much took a vacation so why can't they? Please R&R. Later! ****The cost of Flair's bikini: $35. The cost of Gaiden's beach clothes: $25. Gaiden blushing: priceless. There are somethings money ****can't buy. **


	20. Chapter 20: The Unspeakable Happens

**So, I think that's enough vacationing. Time to get back to where the action is. Back to Smash Mansion. **

Chapter 20: The Unspeakable Happens

Gaiden sat in the booth that they shared, eyes on his book. His mind was on other matters though. The time at the beach had been...diverting. He had only agreed to come to the Mansion because it would present a fighting challenge that few places could offer. He had not come to enjoy himself. Now that the tournament was close to beginning he would finally be able to test himself without reprecussions. If what Flair told him was true, the people couldn't even die. This meant he could fight with killer intent and it wouldn't matter. He wouldn't dissapoint Flair by killing a smasher. That is the only reason. The short teenager turned a page to continue the illusion that he was merely reading his book. The corner of his mouth twitched, a smile that wasn't going to see the light of day. _This could be fun._

Samael had one eye on the terrain as the train sped on, the other was on his young companion. He could tell that Gaiden was thinking about battle. The twitch was Gaiden's equivalent of a toothy grin and the boy only smiled when battle was immenint. "Good book Gaiden?" he asked.

The demon boy glanced up at him. Samael didn't ask questions without meaning. He knew Gaiden's mind was on something else. Gaided decided to ignore him. His eyes returned to his book and Samael chuckled. "Must be pretty good if you won't bother supplying an answer."

Flair sighed. She always missed things between these two. Everything they said seemed to be some type of inside joke. Except only one party ever laughed. "So, did you guys enjoy yourselves at the beach?" she asked, drawing the conversation onto stable ground.

Samael nodded enthusiastically. "Very much so, on my part. I had a most intriguing conversation with Miss Samus Aran. Did you know that hardly anyone talks to her? It's as if, once she loses her power suit, people become absolutely terrified of her. Any ideas as to why that is Miss Castle?"

Flair blushed. "You know you don't have to keep calling me that. Just Flair is fine."

Gaiden emerged from the pages of fiction and spoke up. "Samael comes from a time where etiquette was everything. He is polite because if you weren't polite you'd die. It is his way and you shouldn't question it." He returned to his book then, as if the conversation was settled.

Flair went to say something to him but stopped as he began to read. "Oh, well, thanks for that input Gaiden." He nodded in return, but that was it.

Samael shrugged as she looked at him in question. "And that is his way, Miss Castle, I suggest that you don't question it."

After an uneventful train ride, the smashers arrived back at the mansion. Everyone began to stretch and yawn, now that they were no longer confined to the cramped spaces of the train booths. Samael popped his neck and groaned. "If only we were as short as Gaiden. Then perhaps I wouldn't have to wake my muscles back up and snap my limbs to attention." He seemed pretty serious and didn't even look at Gaiden as he said this. The young demon took up the slack and glared at him in return.

Samael cracked his back to and pretended to just now notice Gaiden's peircing glare. He stared back for a few seconds and then spoke in a condescending tone. "You know, it's considered rude to stare Gaiden."

Flair giggled as Gaiden looked away, annoyed. "Don't worry about Gaiden, your tall enough for me." She put an arm on his head and leaned on him. "Your just right for an arm rest!"

Samael barked out a laugh, clutching his side. "Inventive, Miss Castle! I would have never thought about such an ingenius idea!"

A couple of the smashers chuckled at this scene, but one stood out among the rest. A loud laugh, so obvious that it gained the attention of everyone around him, came from the mouth of everyone's favorite blue hedgehog. "I may be short, but I've never allowed anyone to use me an armrest!" he ran in place, still laughing. "I'm just to fast for something like that!"

Gaiden calmly lifted Flair's arm off of his head and slowly pointed at Sonic. "You. You and I will be fighting today. I'll put you in your place." His eyes glew with purple flames as he let some of his anger show itself. "You will learn not to take me lightly." His eyes returned to normal and he hid his emotions again. "I'll allow you to pick the stage. It doesn't matter to me where I fight." He left then, having stemmed the flow of laughter directed at him.

Samael grinned. "Gaiden wants to restore the fear that everyone had when they first saw him. Sonic's going to be an example of what happens when you make fun of a demon." Everyone's attention was drawn to him as he made this announcement. He laughed and pointed at Sonic's nervous face. "I can see it already starting to show itself. The best of luck Sonic, you're going to need it."

He left with that, following Gaiden into the Smash Mansion. Flair sighed. "We just got back. Can't he wait to fight for at least one day?" then she frowned at Sonic. Her eyebrows crossed as she did so. "Though for once I don't blame him. I'm the only one who's allowed to poke fun at him and that's that." She stuck her tongue at him and stalked off after the demons.

Sonic groaned. "Man, what did I do to piss them off? A hedgehog can laugh can't he?"

The match was set for four. Quite a few people had arrived to watch this match. Gaiden was certainly fast but Sonic was known as a speed demon himself. This could be a very interesting brawl. Money had changed hands, but now just concerning who won. Some bets were placed on who would be faster or how long the match would take with two smashers who had such speed.

Gaiden and Sonic stepped into the viewing room, neither looking at the other. They both made their way to he teleportation platforms, awaiting the preliminary information. Flair watched, eager to see who would prevail. Sonic may have been fairly new to the tournament as well, but he'd proven himself worthy to join the ranks. "Kick his butt Gaiden!" she yelled, giving life to the quiet room.

The other brawlers followed her lead, not wanting to be outdone. "You can do it boyo! I-a believe in you!" Mario yelled to his once rival, now ally.

"Yaa! Show that litta shit who's faster!" yelled Wario, still annoyed at Gaiden for attacking him.

Samael grinned at Gaiden, knowing that's all he needed to get the message. Samus decided that she needed to put in her two cents. "Don't underestimate him Gaiden! Sonic's the fastest smasher here!" this was mainly to support Gaiden but she wasn't entirely against Sonic either. The last line was one part warning, one part compliment.

Master Hand floated down from the air, snapping his fingers to gain everyone's attention. "I'm sure the fighters appreciate your advice and praise, but the time for talking is over!" he floated over two the two brawlers. "The stage has been chosen by Sonic. The brawl will take place in the Green Hill Zone, Sonic's home turf. He has also agreed to use the speed version."

Flair frowned. "What? What's the speed version? I've never heard of it and I've watched every tournament."

Sonic grinned. "You'll just have to wait to see. Not really my cup of tea, waiting you know, but you will just have to deal with it."

Master Hand cleared his throat. "If I may continue?" He went on. "There will be no items, not even the Smash Ball. This will not be a regular match. You will both have only 1 stock but that's not all. This will be a race match. You race until one of you loses your stock, whoever has made the most laps wins!" The room erupted in sound as the smashers became excited. This was something they hadn't seen before.

Sonic smirked. "This is why you've never seen the speed version before. Almost nobody would be able to keep up with me." He seemed pretty confident. Easy to do when your as fast as he is.

Gaiden rolled his eyes. "Is that it? I'm ready for this match to begin so let's get on with it."

Master Hand bobbed up and down. "Very well. Let's race!" He snap his fingers once more and the teleporters activated, sending the fighters to their destination.

Sonic hit the ground running, gaining the lead. "Try and keep up slowpoke, I'm hoping you'll be a challenge!"

Gaiden took off after him, eyes set on his target. "Try and stay on the track." He said.

Sonic scoffed, running up a loop. "What the heck does that mean?"

Gaiden's hand moved in a blur and hellfire blasted under the speeding hedgehog. "You missed." He laughed.

Gaiden raised an eyebrow. "Did I? Who said I was aiming for you?"

Sonic realized what was happening as his loop began to collaspe. "Oh, you sneaky bastard! We're going to have to jump that the next time around, you know!"

He jumped lightly off the falling loop, landing on firm ground. "Not to mention that you just.."

The piece of earth that was the loop exploded as Gaiden blasted through it, sheathing his sword. "Destroyed an obstacle." Sonic finished and not in the way he was about to.

Gaiden quickened his pace slightly and pulled up beside Sonic. "I'll admit that your fast, but can you take a hit?"

Sonic caught his meaning quick enough and dropped back as Gaiden struck out with his blade. "Nice try kid, but my reflexes are as fast as my feet!"

Gaiden glanced back at him. "You brain isn't. You just fell behind." He put on a burst of speed, increasing the distance between them.

Sonic growled. "I'll show you fast!" his feet became a blure and he quickly caught up to the demon boy. "Fast enough for you?"

The blue hedgehog struck out with his fist and Gaiden leaned back, dodging it but still keeping his speed. Gaiden struck back and soon they were both attacking each other, neither landing a hit. Sonic saw something coming up and grinned. The kid wouldn't be expecting this. He blasted forward and struck a small blue ball on a stick, which turned red and began to spin at an alarming rate. Gaiden didn't have time to dodge and was knocked back as the red sphere struck him across the face. He grunted and fell backl, slightly stunned. Sonic laughed. "Red means stop or didn't you know?" The short teen quickly shot off again, annoyed.

Master Hand kept the smashers up to date as he commented on the race. "That means they've made one lap. So far Sonic's in the lead and Gaiden has fallen behind."

Gaiden drew his sword and coated the cold steel in deathly flames. "Let's test those reflexes of yours." He blasted an arc of fire at Sonic who quickly moved over, dodging it.

"Try what you want, you can't touch this!" he said, dodging another as Gaiden fired again.

Gaiden kept up his barrage, making sure Sonic's focus was on his attacks. The speed at which they were moving allowed them to quickly make their way back to the starting line. Gaiden had not relented in his attacks. None of them managed to hit and people began to laugh at uselessness behind his attacks. "He hasn't even hit Sonic yet, why does he continue to waste his time?" Toon Link asked.

Samael looked down at the little cartoon version of Link. "Anything Gaiden does has meaning. I'm sure it will make sense whenever he put's his plan into action."

Samus walked up behind them, doubtful. "He has a plan?" she stared up at the screen that focused on Gaiden. "He looks focused alright but what could he possibly be doing than whatever else it looks like. Attaking and failing."

Samael closed his eyes and shook a finger at the bounty hunter. "Now now Miss Aran, you should know that the best plans are the ones that no one besides yourself know."

Flair sighed. "I hope your right Samael, but I'm not seeing it."

The tall man chuckled, crossing his arms. "That's the point, Miss Castle."

Sonic was growing nervous. He wasn't having any trouble dodging these attacks but he wondered why Gaiden persisted in what was obviously futile. He hadn't been destroying anymore of the landscape, so he wasn't trying to create holes. The stage did that itself anyways. They'd already had to jump over one such hole and it would be fixed on their way back. So what did this kid have planned? They were almost done with the second lap and it hadn't been an eventful one.

Gaiden prepared himself for one more blast. This is where all those useless attacks come into play. Sonic was focused on him. That's all he needed. He sent an arc of fire, like so many before it, and watched in satisfaction as Sonic easily dodged it. The hedgehog looked back, laughing. "Getting bored of that yet?"

Gaiden grinned. It was not a pleasant site. "Just returning the favor." He said simply.

Sonic scratched his head. "What?" Then he was knocked back by a spinning red sphere.

Gaiden caught Sonic as he flew towards him. He dragged the stunned hedgehog along the ground and then slammed him into the still spinning sphere. He let go of Sonic as he did so, leaving the blue speed demon behind him.

The smashers who where watching stared with their mouths agape. He had wasted all of that time just to smack Sonic with his own trick? Sonic stood up, rubbing his head. "Well, that happened."

Samael grinned at the two girls shocked faces. "I told you he had a plan."

Sonic groaned as he saw the lead Gaiden now had on him. He began to run and shook his head. "What am I worried about? I hit him with the same trick and he caught up to me. I'll just have to do something about it." He grinned as he saw another loop coming. "And there's the way to do it."

Gaiden ran up and down the loop and quickly jumped as the ground before it fell into the nothing. "Unstable place isn't it?" he asked himself.

Sonic jumped in the air, using his spring as he did so. Landing on the top of the loop he stooped close to the ground. "Ready or not, here I come!" then he rolled into a ball and flew off of the loop. He rolled up the next hill with no trouble and began close the distance at an alarming rate.

Flair looked on in shock. "He's even faster like that. I hope Gaiden notices before it's to late."

Gaiden ran along the green track, completing lap 3. He'd seen Sonic's speed first hand now and couldn't help but be impressed. He wanted to fight him in a real match now, not this race that would only prove who's faster.

The blue ball that was Sonic came speeding across the ground, a dustrail in it's wake. _Here I come kid, get ready to lose!_ He drew closer and then launched himself at Gaiden's back. The boy was knocked to the ground Sonic sped over him. As he did so he unfurled back to normal. "Speed bump!" he called out.

Gaiden stood up and growled. "If you want to use some of your techniques then I'll just have to show one of my own." He dissapeared, a hint of smoke where he was, and appeared beside the blue hedgehog.

Sonic move over as Gaiden suddenly was running beside him. "What!? How did you get back up her so fast?"

Gaiden didn't smile. "Smokestep. We demon's use it to move around easily." In a flash he faded from view and was now in front of Sonic. "You should feel proud, I have to really try to get ahead of you like this." Then his leg flew up, catching Sonic under the jaw.

Gaiden dug his fingers into the track, spinning as he did so which kicked up some dust. "I've had enough running. The hand said that this match ends when one of us loses a stock. We both have completed 3 laps. We have both been hit by that red sphere and we have both hit each other once. I'd say that makes this fight even."

Sonic had flipped in the air with blow, landing on his feet. He rubbed his jaw. "Alright. Have it your way. We'll fight right here. Right now!" he flew towards Gaiden and punched the teen in the stomach.

Gaiden leaned over slightly as he felt air leave his lungs. He reached down and grabbed Sonic's wrist. "You can deliver a fast hit. That's good." Then he kicked his right leg towards Sonic's head. The blow was about to connect but Sonic's left hand flew up, blocking the kick. He gritted his teeth as he did so. "Damn. That was one heavy kick."

They stood there for a second and then quickly broke apart. Gaiden drew his sword, the steel hissing as it came free of it's sheath. It erupted in purple in black flames, as if eager to fight. "If you think that was bad, you going to hate this."

Sonic dug his feet into the ground, ready. He'd seen Gaiden's fights and knew what was coming. Hell.

Gaide started things off by blasting a wave of hellfire at Sonic. The blue hedgehog spun in a ball and blasted through it. Gaiden's eyes widened in surprise. _He was able to pass through unharmed?_ The sphere stopped spinning in the air and Sonic lashed out with a kick, snapping Gaiden's head to one side. "Gotcha!" he yelled.

Gaiden didn't lose his footing as the blow hit home. His eyes didn't flinch with the impact. He slowly raised his head, staring. "You didn't escape that first attack completely unharmed."

Sonic grabbed his arm in pain. It was true. He had burns all over his body now. He may have been hurt but at least he hadn't been consumed. "So? I can take it!" he sped towards Gaiden. "Let's see if you can take this!"

He lashed out with fist and foot, trying to take this demon boy down. Gaiden allowed the hits to connect, his body shaking with each blow. Sonic yelled in fury as he delivered his attacks with otherwordly speed. "Haaaaah!" he ended it with one more punch which lifted Gaiden off his feet and onto his back.

Sonic rubbed his fist as Gaiden hit the ground. He was breathing quite heavely. "You want anymore, just get back up."

His words rang true as the demon boy rolled over and began to rise. Sonic took a step back "How? How are you still standing? I hit you with everything I had!"

Gaiden turned around, blood falling from his nose and mouth. "I could tell." He rubbed his mouth and looked at the blood on his bandages. He looked back at Sonic, who was shaking. "Now it's my turn." He settled into a crouch, fire swirling around him. "I won't be holding back."

He held his sword above his head and it became shrouded in hellfire, a beacon of death that emanated fear, and cast a harsh light on the battle. The fire around the blade grew to a tremendous size, as if the gates of hell had been opened and he was staring into the dark land itself. "See if you can dodge this, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Gaiden yelled above the roar of fire that made his blade seem to have a life of it's own.

Sonic jumped to the right as Gaiden swung the fiery tower down. He avoided the attack but the heat was so intense that he had to shield his eyes, for fear that they would combust. "It is not wise to shield your eyes when fighting an opponent. I'll burn that lesson into your mind." Gaiden's cold voice rang out.

Sonic opened his eyes, moving as he did so, trying to avoid the attack that he knew was coming. What he saw was fire. Then the feeling of flying through the air, the feeling of burning, and then he was gone. Gaiden watched calmly as an explosion marked Sonic's departure from the stage. He brought his sword back to his side, after hitting Sonic, and extinguished the immense amount of flames that had covered it. "I win." Then he was back in the viewing room.

Sonic came away from his teleporter, depressed. "Damn. If I hadn't closed my eyes, then maybe I could avoided that!"

Gaiden walked over to him, his face serious. "You are a fast opponent, hedgehog." He then did something completely out of character. All of a sudden, his arm was on Sonic's head and he was leaning nonchalantly on a surprised hedgehog. "And you make an excellent arm rest." He face was still completely serious, but his mouth twitched in what could be considered a smile. Sonic couldn't help it. He laughed. "Okay, that was just to funny!" he chuckled.

Samael shook his head. "No, no, no Gaiden. You never make jokes!" he acted mad but then smiled. "And seeing as that was your first real joke, I think we should celebrate. Dinner sound good? I'm buying." He was of course doing no such thing. The food was free here.

The smashers agreed. Watching a match like that, and losing money in some cases, had worked up quite an appetite. They quickly filed into the dining room, talking about the spectacular brawl they'd just witnessed. Flair came up behind Gaiden and crossed her arms on his head, looking at Sonic's retreating back. "I do believe you might have made a friend, Gaiden."

Gaiden raised his eyes to heaven, which was in this case Flair, and scoffed. "Ridiculous. Only weaklings need friends. I was merely proving him wrong when he said he'd never be used as an armrest. It was revenge, of sorts."

Flair giggled and Gaiden pushed her arms away, heading to the dining room. She watched him go for a second and he stopped, head turning around. "Well? Are you coming or what?"

She smiled and followed. "Sure. Friend." She emphathized the last word.

Gaiden grumbled to himself at her words. "Fool."

**Well, that was a fairly long chapter. Another paragraph and I would have had 4000 words. Damn. Must get there. Maybe I'll put a little snippet at the end here to even it out? Yeah, let's do that.**

**PA:18: Hey, Gaiden! Would you care to help me make 4000 words?**

**Gaiden: No.**


	21. Chapter 21: Honesty and Lies

**I'm kind of bummed about not getting many reviews, but I don't really care. I enjoy writing this story and having even a few people to talk to about it is enough for me. So! My few, few reviewers...here's the drinking age chapter. **

Chapter 21: Honesty and Lies

Day had turned to night and most of the Smashers were still in the dining room, doing more talking than eating now. One of the seats was empty and few people realized this. Samael stalked the corridors after the feast, not really knowing where he was going, just knowing that he needed time to think. The tall, blonde haired man picked a pair of sunglasses out of his jacket pocket. They were small, circular in shape and only barely covered his eyes. He flicked them open and placed the shades over his eyes. Much better. The world was a dark place and the sunglasses made sure that it kept this image. They were also useful for viewing people without being noticed. He walked out to an open air balcony and leaned on the railing.

He took a long, deep breath of air and then slowly allowed it to leave his lips. "These kids aren't ready."

Samael reflected on all of Gaiden's fights that he had been told of and the one's that he had seen himself. "Most of them can barely stand up to Gaiden and there will be worse than him coming by the end of the month. I have to make sure that this tournament will not be the last, though what I can do is limited."

Ivy vines climbed their way up the wall, stopping just below the balcony that Samael was standing on. Something else was also creeping up the walls, there was something that wasn't supposed to be there. Two something's in fact. The demon above took another great breath of air but didn't release the breath. The sound of him inhaling deeply, like a wolf tracking it's prey, replaced it. "Now, that wasn't very wise. Attempting to sneak around a demon with a keen sense of smell. Foolish." His voice rang out, contempt falling from his lips.

He leaned over the railing and lowered his sunglasses, an eyebrow raised. Before him, clinging to the vines were what appeared to be two male humans, both staring at him in fear. They seemed fairly young, but old enough to do stupid things. "Care to explain why you are sneaking into the Smash Mansion?"

He reached down and grabbed the first boy by the arm and easily pulled the shocked boy onto the balcony. He repeated the action with the other and stared at them, arms crossed. Both where redheads, the hair cut in a bowl shape. They were pale and of moderate height. They both had blue jeans but they wore different shirts. One portrayed Mario and the other had Samus on the front, in her power suit. The boy's were so similar that they were almost definitely brothers, twins even. The tall demon didn't care one way or the other. Samael gestured with his hand, not caring to repeat his question.

One of the boys nudged the other with his elbow, obviously wanting him to talk. The boy glared back at him and then stared back at Samael. "Please don't hurt us. We just wanted to see who some of the new fighters were and maybe watch the tournament in person." He hung his head and his companion mimicked him. "We are truly sorry for intruding and will accept the consequences of our actions."

Samael nodded. "Of course you will." he said roughly, a strange gleam in his eye which was hidden behind his shades. He began to walk towards the dining room, one of his hands making a following gesture. "Follow me, we shall see what Master Hand has to say about this."

Samael stepped into the dining room, making his entrance perhaps a bit obvious. He stepped onto the table, knocking empty plates and cups away. "May I have your attention!" he called, spreading his hands.

The smashers quickly stopped their chatter, staring at him in confusion. Gaiden sighed. "You have it, Samael. What is it you want?"

Master Hand floated down beside him, as confused as the others. "For once I agree with Gaiden. What is the meaning of this?"

Samael smiled, whipping off his sunglasses and placing them back in his jacket. "We have some uninvited guest who would like to meet you!" he said loudly, motioning the kids onto the table with him. People only just noticed them now, their attention being on Samael.

"How did I miss them? Look at that hair!" Snake joked.

Master Hand floated down calmly in front of the two boys, both of which seemed uncomfortable with the attention. "Hello. You probably already now us all, so why don't you two introduce yourselves?"

Samael nodded vigorously, motioning to the smashers to get as close as possible. "Excellent idea Master Hand! Let's all meet our newest guests!" he called out, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.

Gaiden stood afar, making no motion to move any closer. Flair tugged on his arm. "C'mon Gaiden! They'll want to meet the newest smasher and now is not the time to be antisocial!" He refused to budge, his eyes moving from the redhead boys to Samael

His eyes eventually settled on Samael and they narrowed. "What are you up to?" he said quietly, ignoring Flair entirely.

Flair looked at him in confusion, wondering what he meant. "What is it Gaiden? Who's up to what?" He didn't answer her and she sat down beside him, crossing her arms and pouting. "Fine, ignore me then."

Master Hand chuckled. "That's not what I meant, Samael. There is no reason for this, seeing as they know us, but I suppose it won't hurt."

Samael seemed to want the strongest smashers to greet the two boys first. Most of them had already fought Gaiden and some hadn't even talked to him. Samael smiled as Link began to shake on of the boys hands. "You have still not graced us with your names. Care to fix that?" he asked good naturally.

The boy who's hand he shook opened his mouth to answer. "Yes. How very rude of us. My name is-" he was cut off as a long, steel blade exited through his chest and lifted him into the air.

People yelled in outrage as they saw Samael, his sword through the boys chest.

"NO!" Link yelled, furious at the man before him.

"Samael! Why would you do that!?" Flair cried, hiding her face on Gaiden's shoulder.

Samus just stood there in horror, not understanding why their supposed friend had just run his sword through a defenseless child's chest. The smasher's near him aimed their weapons at him, ready to kill him. Master Hand passed the other boy to Ike who planted himself in front of the boy, sword ready. "Defend him Ike!" he yelled.

Gaiden had not stood from his seat, eyes fixed on the boy who was weakly gripping the sword that was stealing his life. The young demon didn't even blink, as if waiting for something.

Samael sighed. "How foolish are you people? What we have here are two spy's who would turn on you as soon as their work was done." He completely ignored the weapons narrowed at him, rather, he was angry at their supposed foolishness!?

Master Hand aimed his gun fingers at Samael, shaking with rage. "This is unforgivable Samael! Give us the boy so that we may try to save him and I'll give you 10 seconds to start running."

Samael laughed. "Fine. None of you seem to understand what is going on so I will make it clear." His sword caught fire and the boy was consumed in the blue flames. His scream rose in pitch and the smashers roared in fury. Then the boy's form seemed to grow larger, and his screamed turned into a roar of agony.

Everyone else became silent. They had all heard that sound before. The day that the Mansion had been attacked by demons. The thing that burned before them was something that they had all seen before. What had once been a demon now exploded into smoke, covering all of the nearby smashers. The other boy had quickly morphed into his demon form, claw raised to strike down the swordsman in front of him. Too bad Ike had other ideas. He fell back towards the demon, avoiding the blow and elbowed the red beast in the stomach, causing it to bend over in pain. Ike spun away, cape spinning with him, sword raised to deliver the final blow. "Don't kill him Ike!" Samael yelled, eye's alight with satisfaction. The blue haired man nodded, and then kicked the beast in the snout. He placed a foot on it's chest as it fell back and aimed his blade at it's throat.

"Make a move and you'll die." he said simply, not wasting his words.

Samael glanced at the other smashers, some of which where still slightly paralyzed from the smoke. Others however, had shown their strength and seemed barely affected at all. Ike hadn't even seemed to notice, reacting with the same speed as he had when fighting Gaiden. "Good, very good." The tall demon whispered. He then walked over to the large, red demon.

"How did you know?" the beast growled, slitted eyes on his face.

"One beetle knows another." Samael stated.

The smashers who had intended to attack Samael now aimed their weapons at the new threat. "Talk fast Samael, I want to know why you led us on like that." Link said quickly, his anger having not yet subsided.

The blonde demon scoffed. "Simple. I wanted to test you. After I killed that first demon, I looked around to see how much it's smoke affected you." He smiled. "The strongest among you showed superb resistance, some of which didn't seem to be affected at all."

He pointed his blade at the other demon. "These demons have fairly weak radiation however, compared to the enemies that you will have to face in the very near future."

The red demon began to laugh. It was a cackling, hissing laugh that fit the creature very well. Samael cocked his head and walked over to the now chuckling demon. "May I ask what is so funny?"

The demon grinned, showing it's rather large teeth. "You know as well as I do. You spoke of the Kings coming at the end of this month and ,by these people's expressions, I take it that you haven't told them?"

The smashers began to talk among themselves, wondering who this King is. Link spoke up, once again feeling a slight twinge of betrayal. "King? What have you been keeping from us Samael? If there is a threat coming then you should have told us!" He crossed his arms and glared at the hellhound.

Samael sighed. "I was going to have you all train, then you wouldn't have your mind burdened by what is to come." He looked at the faces that surrounded him. "My only intention is to prepare you for a threat that is beyond preparation."

The demon scoffed. "Lies. All that comes out of your mouth are lies coated with hints of truths."

"Be silent!" Samael growled.

Master Hand pointed at the red demon. "I would hear what your words mean, demon. Speak up."

Ike allowed the demon to stand up at Master Hand's gesture. "What I mean is that this dog from hell only speaks part of the truth. His duty, assigned to him by Beezle the 2nd King of Hell, is to groom his son to take his place." The demon pointed a talon at Gaiden. "He is to train Gaiden to become King. He is to train him in the arts of killing and demonic powers. He is to honor the agreement that was made over eighteen years ago." The demon smiled. "To do this until his dying day."

The people who stood around Samael began to step away, feeling that their trust had been betrayed by someone who they thought was their friend. Samael looked at the crowd of faces. Each one that was coated in distrust, betrayal, and dissapointment. Each one was like a stab to the heart. His gaze fell on Samus and it was now as if his heart had been ripped out. He could have dealt with anger, he could have dealt with disbelief, but he could not deal with the sadness that washed over her face.

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Take this message to the King. Gaiden will be here, awaiting his arrival." The demon opened a portal and stepped through, hissing in agitation. Samael looked over at him, looking for Gaiden to confirm the fact. The boy nodded stiffly. Then he stood up and walked over to Samael, people making room as he made his way. He stared up Samael, his eyes unblinking.

Samael stared back. Here before him was the boy that he had sworn to protect, train, and in essence raise. Flair stood behind him, not sure what he was going to do. Samael tried a small smile in her direction. She did not return it. He blinked his eyes quickly, hiding the tears that had threatened to show themselves. He looked back at Gaiden and he had been around Gaiden long enough to know what he was thinking.

A person that was the closest thing to a friend he had ever had, the person who he had thought was training him to get his revenge, and the first person to treat him like a son. This person had been working for his father all along. Gaiden opened his mouth to speak. "Leave, Samael."

With that he turned around and walked away, his braided ponytail swinging behind him as he went. Flair took a second to shake her head in dissapointment, and then followed Gaiden. She stroked her red ponytail that layed on her shoulder, eyes downcast. Samael lowered his head, eye's shadowed. "I will honor your orders Gaiden. Goodbye." He bowed with a stiff back and turned around. He took his sunglasses out and flicked them open. Placing them over his eyes, he effectivley hid the tears that had finally started to fall down his face. A single tear fell from his face onto the floor and then he was gone, a wisp of smoke in his wake.

**So Samael's true purpose has been revealed. He has been charged by Gaiden father, Beezle, to prepare his son for the throne of demons. It seems that the tournament will be started without him. It also seems that you won't be seeing Beezle until then. Or will you? Read on. **

A portal opened into a scene that was straight out of hell. Literally. The sky was a sick yellow and the landscape was a red, rocky wasteland that was dotted with stone building that appeared to be ruins. Smoke flew across the bloody expanse and weaved in and out of the desolate buildings. The portal had opened into the largest of these structures. A tattered rug, bloodstained and ripped, made it's way up to a stone throne, lined with purple flames that stood atop open lamps. The light cast a shadow on the throne, hiding the top of the person who resided on it. What could be seen was black cowboy boots that had purple flames dancing up the side. Dark, ripped jeans would have covered more of the boots but where reclined, the person obviously relaxed in this nightmare of a world. A black trench coat was falling over the jeans and the rest was hid in shadows.

The demon fell to it's knees and scraped to the foot of the throne, it's head on the floor as well. "I bring a message from Samael, Your Majesty." It spoke out.

"What has my servant to say?" a deep voice answered from the dark, the pitch like that of the finest baritone. It seemed to flow through the air, fitting perfectly to the wind.

The demon swallowed. "His words are that Gaiden will be at the Smash Mansion, awaiting your arrival."

The man in shadow nodded. "A rather useless message. As if I wasn't already aware of that." His voice sounded bored, as if he'd had nothing to do all day. "It seems the messenger was just as equally useless."

The demon looked up in confusion. "Was?"

A hand shot out from the darkness, grabbing the demon by the throat. The demon was pulled off it's feet as the man stood to his full height. The demon itself was over six feet tall. It's feet where dangling another two feet off the floor. The man leaned in, his upper torso now visible. He wore a red muscle shirt that showed his defined chest and abs. His face was charming, not a blemish on it. His hair was shoulder length, and hung in silky strands. His trench coat had a low collar which ran around the inside of the man's black hair. His eye's were the color of amythest and they were alight with malice. They were the eyes of a man who enjoyed killing. He smiled, revealing slightly pointed teeth and he breathed out, his eyes focusing on the demon that tried in vain to wrench his hand away from it's throat. "Yes. Struggle in the face of death." The demon's eyes began to roll into the back of it's head and it's tounge hung from it's jaws. The man let out a sigh of satasfaction as the demons neck crunched beneath his grip.

The demon fell to the floor, dissolving in smoke. The man went to sit back on his throne. "Oh, how I love to kill the messenger."

**And that is truly the end of this chapter. If any of you are sweating, shaking, or have ran from the computer in fear then I apologize. I hope you enjoyed this development and please tell me what you thought. R&R. Try reading this whole chapter to Haunted by Disturbed. That's what I wrote it to. Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Later!**


	22. Chapter 22: The Past of a Demon

**I'm alive! Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I've been working and just really didn't know how to continue this story. I found my inspiration again so have no fear. Now, back to business! We are finally getting to the Smash Tournament. I've already received some guesses on what is going to happen so I aim to please. Just letting you know, I've set up a poll and I want you guys to pick the fights. It explains it a bit more than that. Let's finally get to the chapter. There won't be any real fights, sorry bout that, but it's really just to give you guys something for waiting so long. **

Chapter 22: The Past of a Demon

Flair went to the their dorm, not surprised to see the door shut. Gaiden wasn't the type of person who went to people with his problems. The red headed girl knew that keeping your problems inside could turn a person bitter and mean, as it had Gaiden. She knocked on the door softly, knowing he'd hear her, though possibly wouldn't answer. "Can I come in?" she said, just as quiet as her knock.

"Enter if you wish. It's your dorm to." Gaiden's cold voice sounded through the door.

She did so, and went to sit on the bed beside Gaiden. The demon hybrid was laying on his back, looking relaxed. "I assume your here to talk about my "feelings"." he said, emphasizing the word as if it was some sort of mythical creature.

Flair began to grow annoyed. "You know you don't have to act so tough all the time. You are human you know!" she crossed her arms.

Gaiden sat up and glared at her. "Only half, or did you forget the fact that hellfire flows through my veins?" his eyes became alight with small flames, his fiery anger evident.

She glared right back at him. "I didn't forget and don't pretend that just because your part demon that you have no feelings!" she practically screamed at him.

The short boy looked slightly taken aback. _Now I remember why she interested me to begin with._ Flair may have normally been a nice, caring, and all around happy girl but there was some fire in her spirit. Fire that showed itself now. She pointed at his chest, face flushed with anger. "You have a heart right!? Well it's hurting and it will continue to hurt until you let it out!" she stopped to catch her breath, eye's locked on the fiery orbs before her.

The fire in Gaiden's eyes began to fade, like a candle being put out by a soft wind. He noticed that his mouth was slightly ajar. He quickly closed it, annoyed that he'd let that bit of emotion show itself. "So you want to know why my heart burns?" he asked, surprising the red faced girl.

She started, not expecting him to give in so easily. "That's what I'm here for. I don't want you forget your human half." She put a hand on his, which he predictably moved his away from.

"Sorry." he said quickly, looking at his own hand in thought. He'd pulled away instinctively, not even thinking about it. He could tell that she understood so he took a breath to tell his story. "I'd rather you not to tell anyone else what you're about to hear. It could be conceived as weakness and that's something that I prefer not to associate myself with"

Flair grabbed a pillow and set it on her knees. "Finally, some progress." she giggled.

Gaiden sighed, wondering if he was doing something stupid just now. "Progress for the sake of progress, how very human of you." And put his hands between his legs, looking at the floor as he began to tell his story. "I wasn't always alone. The only times in my life that I didn't know hate, anger, and battle was from my birth til my sixth birthday. That was the day I became who I am now." He motioned for her to look into his eyes. "What I'm going to show you is private, and I only do so as a sign of trust." Then she was viewing his memories, as she had Samaels.

A short woman, with flowing black hair and eyes like black pearls looked at the sleeping form of her son. She wore a plain, tan dress that had loose sleeves and was further decorated by a white apron. He had just turned six only a six hours ago. Seems right that he should be woken now. "Wake up Gaiden. Breakfast is set on the table, I made your favorite." The woman ran a soft hand across the boy's face. He looked so peaceful, dreaming of this day probably.

Feeling her touch and hearing her voice, the young boy opened his purple eyes, void of the anger that was so often associated with him. He didn't like the fact that he was short, that his skin was pale, but the one thing about his appearance he truly found interesting was his eyes. No child he had seen had such a color. It was odd, but children liked odd things. "Did you say breakfast Mom?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

The woman laughed, tousling his hair. The ponytail that he'd braided wasn't present, thanks to haircuts from his mother. "Of course silly. I made grilled cheese with ham, it is your birthday after all."

Most children would be ecstatic. Gaiden was no exception. His innocent eyes widened in the aforementioned emotion, hugging his mom around the waist as he jumped from his simple bed. "Really? Thanks Mom, I'm starving!" The boy ran into the next room, leaping into his designated chair.

His mother called after him, fake anger further accentuated by a wagging finger. "Not until you've dressed yourself properly young man. Come back here and get into your day clothes."

Gaiden grinned and obediently walked back. Slipping on a black t-shirt and worn blue jeans, he finished getting dressed with a pair of socks.. "Okay I'm done, can I eat now?" he pouted. He was waved ahead by her hand and returned to his seat.

The woman walked after him, smiling as he picked up the hot sandwich. She looked around the house they shared, noting the things that would need to be done today. The house was small and made out of wood, like an old cabin. There were only three rooms; the dining room and their respective bedrooms. The wood was old and cracked, a light breeze rattling the wooden shutters. Everything looked handmade and that's because it was. The home was old, rickety, borderline ancient, and needed repairs left and right. But it was still home.

Gaiden had finished his sandwich and looked at his mom in question. "What's wrong? Do the cabinets need to be filled again?" his mom smiled at the concern in his voice. It was his birthday and he was asking if he needed to do something. "No honey, you can have the day off. It is your special day is it not?" She scooted his chair in as he jumped out and threw his boots on.

"Thanks Mom!" he opened the door to the creaking dwelling. "I'll be back before it starts to get dark, don't worry!" he grinned, happy to be able spend his day in the woods.

"Be careful son." she whispered, aware that he wouldn't hear her but taking comfort in saying it.

While Gaiden enjoyed the wonders of the forest, his mother took care of the duties that the little house required. Sweeping, gathering firewood, watering the garden, and gathering said water from the nearby stream. There were many more jobs that needed to be done and they certainly weren't going to do themselves.

Gaiden ran to his favorite spot in the forest. It was a fairly large clearing that had enough room for a small camp. It had, to his childish mind, become his base that he held all of his "tools". The black haired boy had erected a small tent in the middle of the clearing, a small fireplace in front of it. The fire had long since died out and he quickly busied himself grabbing sticks and branches for tender.

After finding sufficient firewood, he used some flint to give the fire the few sparks of life that would allow it to grow to a respectable size. He picked up a short, sturdy branch and began to smash it against a homemade scarecrow that he'd built with the help of his mom. He remembered what she'd told him the day they'd built it. "It's good that you're trying to teach yourself to fight Gaiden. You're the man of the house and will have to grow up much quicker than other boys your age. Just make sure you don't use what you learn to attack the defenseless."

He grinned and smacked the stick across the dummy's face, sending bits of straw into the air. He'd run into other boys who didn't share his mothers sentiments. They had attacked him, thinking that he was the defenseless one. The boys had learned the hard way that this little child wasn't an easy target. Not that he hadn't escaped with a few bruises of his own. Gaiden was by no means an expert fighter. He just lived a tough life and wasn't afraid of a little pain like some children. While Gaiden worked up a sweat by attacking his "enemy", someone who would turn his life upside down was making his way to the small shack.

The sun had begun it's slow descent below the horizon and the day was coming to a close. It wouldn't be to long until it was dark. Gaiden's mother was just putting up the dry dishes when she heard a heavy knock on the cabin's door. It sounded as if a bear was trying to bash the door down! She grabbed the wooden broom and held it tightly in both her hands. "Who is it?" she said, her voice not shaking in the least.

The person didn't answer and instead yanked the door of it's hinges, yet she still kept a firm grip on the broom. A huge man filled the doorway, his head only visible because he was leaning down. He was dressed rather differently from her simple clothing. His bright red muscle shirt stood out among his black trench coat and jeans. They were ripped and fell over a pair of black cowboy boots, purple flame designs barely visible. His black hair hung in looses strands, moving with the gentlest of movements. The man's face was smooth, no signs of wear or tear. He smiled a toothy grin that sent shivers down her back. It was the smile of a predator, one that enjoyed the fear that it felt emanating from it's prey. The part of his face that held her attention the most was his eyes. They were eyes that she'd seen almost seven years ago and had also seen just this morning. A deep, glowing purple that seemed to glow in the already lit room. Yet they held none of the innocence of the last pair that she'd seen. The seemed to pierce her very soul, disguised malice barely showing itself in the man's otherwise carefree face.

"It has been a while since you've seen eyes like mine, hasn't it Anya?" he stepped in, seeming to take up the entire room. She knew that he wasn't talking about the color.

"Why are you here Beezle? I told you to stay away from my family." she said, her eyes wide with fear but her resolve resolute.

The man cocked his head, his smile growing slightly larger in the corner of his mouth. He walked towards her slowly and she took began to step back until her back was against a wall. He reached forward with one hand when Anya made her move. She swung the broom at him and it shattered on his shoulder. She dropped the splintered handle, rubbing her sore hands together. "I love it when you play hard to get. Don't you remember?" he cupped her small chin in his large hand. "This is my family too."

She stared him in the face, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. "You're just like I remember you."

He grabbed her arm and she tried in vain to pull it away. "Strong willed."

She reached behind her with her other hand until she found the handle of a frying pan. She grunted as she swung it into his face. His head rolled to one side as the pan connected, a resounding clang ringing out. He reached up with his other hand and crushed it with ease. He looked back and grinned again. "Courageous."

She screamed as he flung her into a wall, falling to the ground with a thump. She slowly pushed herself up and glared at him, holding the arm that she was thrown from. It felt broken, most likely dislocated. Blood ran from the top of her head, falling over her face. Beezle walked over to her with a look of approval, eying the blood on her face. "And beautiful with blood on your face."

She stood against the wall, sweat mingling with the blood. "Is this just a game to you? You tricked me into thinking that you were capable of love, filling my mind with lies. What could you possibly hope to gain!" as the words left her lips she seemed to understand, her eyes widening in horror.

Beezle nodded. "You're right. You've already figured it out haven't you?" he stepped forward and took her by the throat, lifting her to eye level. "Where is my son?" he said softly into her ear.

She leaned her face away from him, seemingly disgusted. "I won't tell you. You're just going to have to kill me."

He laughed, one that caused her body to shake in fear. "No. I don't plan to kill him. I want him to become stronger. I will be killing you tonight, but wouldn't you rather see your little boy one last time? No child should have to see his mother die, but every child should get the chance to say goodbye. Or do you think differently? Would you deny Gaiden that last gift? It is his birthday after all."

His words seemed to seep into her very mind, confirming the fears and hopes that she felt but hadn't yet acknowledged. It was as if he knew exactly what to say, knew what would cause her to fall to pieces in his grip. He had done this when they first met. Convinced her that he was nothing but a human, nothing but a man who wanted nothing more than to marry a beautiful woman like herself. She found herself crying, shaking in shame that she would have kept that final gift from her only son.

She lowered her head, truly broken. "You swear that you will only kill me and leave Gaiden alone?"

He smirked. "No. I will kill more people than you and I won't leave Gaiden alone. I will however, let him live."

Anya was shoved out the door way, sprawling on the ground. "How about I get his attention dear?" He raised a palm and pointed it at the forest. His hand began to glow with black and purple flames and her eyes widened in understanding. "No!" she made to grab for his arm but it was too late. The beam of hellfire flew towards the forest which promptly caught fire. "GAIDEN!" she yelled, sobbing.

The boy in question looked in fear as other worldly flames began to spread through the forest. They were black and had a deep, purple hue. "Where did this all come up from?" he said in an attempt to calm himself. Then he heard his mother's scream. "GAIDEN!" He looked in the direction of the house and noticed that the flames where thicker there. That means they came from...home! "I'm coming Mom!" he yelled back, grabbing up his stick.

He came to a wall of flames and tried to find away around them. There wasn't one. He took a couple of breaths and ran towards the fire. _I have to get back home. She needs me!_ He thought to himself as he launched himself threw fire. He quickly rolled, both to make himself move faster and to beat some of the flames off of his clothes. He smacked himself in panic, running as he did so. His eyes were wide with fear and confusion. _What is happening!?_

If he hadn't known what direction he was going then he could have easily gotten lost and die in this burning forest. The place that was his playground could have became his grave. The pale child ran through the now devastated woods, knowing that he would soon be free from this literal hell on earth. One last jump over a fallen tree and a desperate dive through the bushes that lined it and he was out. Gaiden looked behind him breathing heavily, body shaking from what he'd just been through. He looked back towards the house and saw his mom but who was that big guy with her? Running the rest of the way, Gaiden soon saw that something was really wrong.

"Mom! Who's this big guy? What did he do to you!?" His mom was obviously hurt and this, this huge man was just grinning at him!

"Go to him Anya, tell him everything is going to be alright." he pushed the woman towards Gaiden.

He ran to his mother, hugging her around the middle and burying his face in her shoulder. "Are you alright Mommy? I don't know what's going on, who's that big guy, and why is your arm broken?" He babbled out, on the edge of completely breaking down. Anya ran her fingers through her hair, keeping herself calm for his sake. "Shh, shh, don't worry baby, it's going to be alright." She took a step back and placed a consoling hand on his face. Tears were falling from his purple eyes, soot and dirt stains covering his face. She reached up and washed some of if away with her sleeve. "I just want you to know that I love you Gaiden. You know that right?"

He nodded slowly, holding onto her hand with both of his smaller ones. "I know Mommy, I know. But why are you talking like that?"

She smiled, tears falling from her own eyes. "I'm sorry." Then a curved, black blade erupted from her chest. She gave Gaiden one last smile and then her eyes closed, blood falling from her mouth. She slumped and her arm slid away from his hands, falling limply by her side. "Mommy?" he said quietly, frozen in shock. Then she was lifted into the air, revealing Beezle, a huge scythe in his grip. He pivoted and threw her body into the house, his other hand already glowing with familiar flames.

Gaiden ran towards the house, a look of complete horror on his face. "MOMMY!" Then the pillar of hellfire flew forth, destroying the house in one massive explosion. Gaiden skidded to a stop, covering his face with his arms. He looked at the giant man before him, his expression turning to rage. He picked up the stick that he had brought with him and ran towards his mother's murderer. "I'll kill you!" He swung the branch towards the man but it was caught in his massive grip.

"That's exactly what I want to hear from you, my son." he yanked the stick away and threw it into the burning house.

Gaiden looked at him in confusion, dumbfounded by that one statement. "Son? You can't be my dad! A dad wouldn't do this!" he ran towards him again and began to beat on his legs with his fist.

Beezle laughed and picked him up by the back of the shirt, chuckling as the boy tried to punch his face. Gaiden soon found it impossible and let the grief take him, sobbing. "Just kill me. I don't want to live anymore." He blubbered, tears falling to the ground.

Beezle pushed the boy's chin up with his other hand. "Why would I do that? Why would I ruin a plan that I put into action almost seven years ago?" He grinned, his sharp teeth showing themselves. "You want nothing more than to kill me, don't you?"

Gaiden didn't even look up. "I want to kill you as painfully as possible." Then he sobbed again. "But I can't. I'm to weak."

The king of hell nodded. "Correct. You see that this situation is completely hopeless. What would you say if I could make you powerful?"

Gagiden stopped sobbing, becoming deathly quiet. His father stared at the silent boy. "You don't see how that is possible. I can understand that. Your enemy is powerful demon who you have no hope of vanquishing. Though that same demon is your father...care to guess what that might mean?"

The child in his grasp wiped his face and looked up. Nothing but hate was written on his face. "Are you saying that I'm a demon to?"

Beezle laughed and shook his head. "How sad. It seems that you've already forgot about your mother. She wasn't a demon, she was a mere human. How sad that her child forgets her already."

Gaiden screamed his rage at his father. "I'LL NEVER FORGET HER AND I WON'T FORGIVE WHAT YOU DID!"

"Good! Now, claim your birthright as my son!" Beezle's other hand clamped over Gaiden's head and smoke began to flow from it, covering the boy in the gray fog.

Gaiden suddenly felt different. He didn't feel like he had actually changed, but more like something inside him had been awakened. Something that should have been left alone. He felt strong. Beezle dropped his son, who landed on his feet, staring at his own hands. Then the awareness came. The crackling of the flames seemed deafening. His own screams racked him to his core. He felt lighter, as if he might float away. Gaiden fell to the ground, curling into a ball. The smell of the ground was so defined that it seared his nostrils, as if pure oxygen had been blasted into them, allowing the scent of the earth to wash into his now cleared nose. He opened his eyes and could see much farther and more defined than ever. "What did you do to me?" he screamed, hands covering his ears, teeth bared in pain.

The black haired man chuckled again. "I have awakened your demon powers. They would have stayed dormant, until you came into contact with demon radiation. Then they would have slowly grown stronger, one sense at a time. I have sped the process up, increasing your chance of survival."

His son stood up, still shaking with pain. "Survival? What do you mean?"

He received a laugh in return. "You will be hunted now. Demons will become aware of the power that now flows through your veins and in mine."

Gaiden glared at him and ran forth, faster than he previously could and jumped at the tall man. He noticed that jumping seemed easier, as if some great weight had been lifted from him, leaving him lighter than before. "I'll kill you!" He brought his fist back and was surprised when he saw it become wreathed in in flames like those around him. His fist flew towards his father's face, who only smiled in response. Then his fist smashed into Beezle's palm.

"What!? H-how is that possible?" Then his hand was encased in Beezle's own and he was flung across the ground. He slid and only came to a stop when he crashed into a tree. Gaiden stayed where he lay, in pain but not as hurt as he should have been. "How am I alive? I should be dead now." he said to himself.

Beezle appeared before him, out of thin air. "You can take more damage than humans and you will also heal at a faster rate. You can thank me if you want. After all, didn't your Mother teach you good manners?" He was met with another punch and he, almost casually, smacked Gaiden away. "I'm going to leave now. Don't worry, you will have the chance to kill me again, one year from now." Beezle pulled his scythe from his back and acted as if to slash the air. A portal appeared, showing a red wasteland that was dotted with ruined building. "Survive until then, kill demons to grow stronger, and don't forget this day." he began to step through the portal, back to Gaiden. He looked back and grinned, incisors showing. "That way you never forget why you want to kill me." The he was gone, the portal closing behind him.

Gaiden stood, painfully, and walked to the house at a trudging walk. When he finally reached the wreck that had been his home, most of the flames had died down. What he saw caused him to break down again, head on the floor as he saw what was left of his mother. Allowing his tears to flow freely, he walked to his room and ripped his blanket from his charred bed. On his way out he saw a picture that he had kept in his room. It had miraculously survived, hardly even touched by the flames. He pocketed it and went back to the room where his mother lay. Wrapping her in the burnt blanket, he pulled his mother's body to the yard and then grabbed a shovel from the tool shed. The handle hadn't survived but he made due.

Digging a grave would have normally been a long, tiring job. He finished in less than ten minutes, working at a ferocious rate. After he had buried her body he wiped his face, stemming the tears that had fallen through the whole ordeal. "I promise Mom, I won't let him get away with this. I promise you." Then he ran away. From both his past and his home.

Gaiden lowered his head, ending the memory. Flair blinked and tears that had threatened to spill out did so now. "Gaiden, I'm so sorry." She scooted beside him and wrapped her arms around him, rocking back and forth. He kept his head down, allowing her to do as she wished. He has had almost thirteen years to deal with his past. She had just seen the single most worst day of his life.

Gaiden blinked his own eyes but no tears showed themselves. He had stopped crying that day, a personal choice that he had made. Unless something happened that was equal to that, he would not shed tears over it. Even Samael's betrayal didn't measure up to him losing his mother. Not to mention shedding tears over a traitor was just plain useless. "I'm sorry for making you cry Flair. Please forgive me." he regretted showing her his past, but she didn't leave him much choice.

She smiled and put a hand on his cheek. "It's alright Gaiden. Tears are how we let emotion leave the body, whether it be sadness or joy. I forgive you." The she did something that only a girl of her courage would be possible of. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. Nothing sexual, sensual, or suggestive. It was a kiss of forgiveness and thanks. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." She wiped her tears away and went to her own bed, pulling curtains that surrounded it to give her privacy.

Gaiden stared ahead, not really sure how he should react to something like that. It wasn't until he heard the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing that he responded. "Goodnight...Flair." Then he threw off his cloak, shirt and boots.

As he settled down to sleep he couldn't help but pull out the picture of his mother. "Do you forgive me Mother?" Carefully tucking it back away into his cloak, Gaiden surrendered to sleep.

**I that was worth the wait. I had so much trouble with this chapter and it's been beating me like speed bag. I rewrote the beginning three times! They are all much different than this one and just didn't feel right. This has been an emotional chapter and now you all know about Gaiden's past. R&R please. I really want to know what you think on this chapter. **

**P.S. Almost forgot. Demon's can show others their memories by staring in their eyes. Samael showed this in his flashback but didn't explain it. Neither did Gaiden now that I think back at it. **

**PA18: Bad Samael! I thought you were supposed to be the teacher.**

**Samael: I would rather be left alone right now. Do you know how awful it feels to know that no one trusts you? Now don't go and reprimand Gaiden either. He's had a bad day and now he's asleep. **

**PA18: Okay, okay, calm down! I'm sorry. I'll leave you guys to your misery alright?**

**Samael: Thank you. That's very gracious of you, god forbid you try to comfort us. **

**PA18: Sarcasm Samael?**

**Samael: That's me. **


	23. Chapter 23: The Tournament Begins!-I

**I was grateful for the reviews that followed my latest chapter. It was difficult to write, on both the physical and emotional levels. For those of you who don't know, there is a poll to decide the fights in the tournament. The smashers that have been chosen have been deleted and you are now limited to picking three smashers. You only get to pick three because the winner of this match will move one, becoming the fourth. Now I'm sure that we're just waiting for Gaiden to blow through this tournament. Then again, let's see who stands in his way first. Let's get to it. **

Chapter 23: The Tournament Begins!-I

Gaiden left his room early, still a bit numb from last night. "Damn it." He sighed as he walked towards the dining room, hands buried in his cloak. He hid the emotions that plagued him behind his usual mask of indifferance, pushing them down so as to not show what he felt. "At least today I'll be able to finally fight again."

As he reached the large room he was met with the sight of all the smashers. _And here I thought that I'd got up early. What could possibly require all of their attention?_ As the pale youth pushed past the crowed he saw a bulletin board in front of them. "What is this thing?" he noticed that all the smasher faces were posted on a wide array of lines, like a ballet.

Flair was there already, excitedly tracing her fingers up the board. "When did you get up?" he asked, a bit miffed that everyone had woken up before him. _Seems that I didn't get the memo._

The red haired girl twirled around, smiling brightly. "Look who finally decided to wake up! Good morning sleepy head!" she giggled, patting the top of his head with one of her hands.

"It's five in the morning, what could possibly have possesed all of you to wake up this early?" he decided to not give her the satasfaction of seeing how surprised he was. _Honestly, you fell asleep at 12:56 in the morning. How could you be this refreshed?_ He, for one, slept very uncomfortably. Sharing his memories had taken more out of him than he cared to admit and he wasn't the one to show it. Truthfully, he would like nothing more than to go back to his dorm and fall asleep.

"Haven't you noticed!? It's the matches for the tournament!" she grabbed him by the shoulders and spun around, shaking him like a doll in front of the board. "They have all of your faces on there and they're all just so adorable!"

Gaiden allowed himself to be shaken, hoping that at least this might wake him up. "Put me down Flair, this is very unbecoming of my image."

She grinned and shook her head. "I'm not so sure about that. Your match is first, so it's at the top...and this is a very tall bulletin board." She giggled and he growled in return.

"Put me down Flair! I'm not blind and neither do I require a human step ladder!" He let his drowsieness get the best of him and promptly lashed out.

She let him drop uncerimouniously and, if not for his reflexes, he might have ended up in a pile on the floor. He shook his head to clear it and berated himself internally. _Control yourself idiot. Just because you're not a morning person doesn't mean you have to lash out at your only real friend._ His facial expression became one of surprise as he realized what he just thought. _Since when did I consider Flair a friend?_ He groaned. _I must becoming soft. _ Shaking those thoughts away he focused on the ballet. "So I have to fight a pink beach ball, an elfin princess, and the giant leprechaun?" He asked, not really sure what they could even do.

Flair pouted at him, apparently forgiving his earlier outburst. "Don't take any of the smashers lightly Gaiden, especially Ganondorf."

He raised in eyebrow. "Are you doubting me? That's new. Usually you just assume that I'm going to win, no matter the opponent. Why should this Ganondorf be any different?"

She saw that he wasn't taking her advice seriously. "Gaiden. Do you even know what these smashers are capable of?" She asked.

He shook his head, ponytail swaying behind him. "No idea. Don't bother telling me either. I would rather find out for myself. It would make this more of a challenge."

He began to walk away, confident as always. Some of the smashers were impressed. Others were thinking that he'd get what he had coming to him. One smasher in particular was of the same attitude as Gaiden himself. "It would be wise if you listened to your friend, demon child." A large, green man with bright orange hair spoke, arms crossed. "Otherwise you won't even make it past the first round." He grinned smugly.

Gaiden allowed a small grin to show itself. "So you're Ganondorf...I was expecting you to be taller."

The warlock chuckled. "I was thinking the same thing about you. So, are you ready to face the power of a true demon?"

Gaiden's fatigue was forgotten as he sensed a challenge in those words. "You have already seen me fight but I haven't had the honor to see a match of yours yet. I look forward to fixing that today."

Ganondorf walked forward and stared down at the boy. "I must say that I'm fascinated with your powers. Perhaps you would consider joining me? I could use someone of your...talents."

Gaiden's expresssion morphed to his regular bored look. "That's a nice offer but I'll have to give it some thought. I happen to believe that you will only be a stepping stone in this tournament. Hopefully your bravado will not ring false." As the boy walked away, satasfied with the banter, he heard laughter behind him. He didn't bother to turn around. "Something amusing you Ganon?"

The larger man grinned evily. "Oh nothing. Just a small boy who thinks he can match my power. Nothing of consequence."

Gaiden turned around slowly. "You are beginning to annoy me Ganondorf. I'm sorely tempted to start the match right now, but I will wait until the set time. We will settle this argument on the battlefield."

As he left, the smashers that had gathered watched in earnest. They could already tell that these this would be one hell of a brawl. Flair walked after Gaiden and as she passed Ganondorf he followed her with his eyes. "Better watch yourself, girl. After I'm done with your little boyfriend, I'll be coming for you next. I feel that that's when I'll really get to see what he's made of."

She shivered and hurried to catch up to Gaiden. In no time it was time for the tournament to begin. As Gaiden walked into the viewing room, he was met with a multitude of cameras, wielded by photographers and interviewers who came from all the different worlds. "And there he is folks! The new fighter that is making his Smash Brothers debut in the _very first brawl_! Mr. Gaiden! Would you mind coming over here for a quick interview!?"

Flair laughed as the overly enthusiastic reporters were met with a very Gaiden response. "No." Then he stepped into his teleporter, ready for the battle to finally start.

Master Hand descended to the room, making a large sweeping gesture. "Welcome. Welcome to the Super Smash Brothers Brawl Tournament!" the reporters clapped, cameras flashing.

Flair cheered with everyone else, overcome with the excitement that seemed to pour throught building. _It's so much more exciting being this close! I can't believe I'm actualy here!_ The atmosphere was amazing, like you were overcome with europhia but wasn't really sure why. Amazing.

Master Hand allowed the reporters to take some pictures of the Smashers that waited in the teleporter pods. "The first match will begin shortly. Let's introduce the smashers that will be kicking off this years tournament!"

"Kirby! The Star Warrior!" The pink puffball responded happily, waving his arms above his head to the crowds that cheered his name.

"Zelda! The Princess of Hyrule!" the brown haired beauty flicked her hair behind hair and inclined her head in a small bow. She was met with the chants of her people and cat calls of her admireres.

"Ganondorf! The Dark Hyrulian Sorcerer!" Ganon placed a hand on his chest forcefully, accepting the negative yells directed at him with a grin.

"Then we have our newest smasher, Gaiden! The Darkened Soul!" Flair yelled her encouragement, as did people who were curious about the new arrival.

"The Tournament has officaly begun. Let's go!" the fighters were enveloped in a bright light and then vanished, appearing moments later on the screen. They found themselves on the Hyrulian castle, one of the larger stages. Kirby flew to the ground on a warp star exploding as he did so. Zelda blossomed out of her magic portal while Ganondorf stepped out of a magical portal of his own, though is was far more sinister in appearance. He showed some steel from his large sword, grinning. Lastly Gaiden appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The fighters showed off a bit, minus Gaiden, while the spectators cheered. He gazed at Ganondorf, eyes unblinking. "That's an interesting sword you got there. I do hope you intend to use it." He spoke out.

Ganondorf smirked as he hid his blade. "Don't even think, not for a second, that I would deem you worthy of it. Devil spawn." He spat.

Gaiden glared at him. "When this starts, I won't be wasting my time on those weaklings. I'm coming straight for you Ganondorf!" his eyes erupted in flames briefly, showing his determination.

"3. 2. 1. BRAWL!" then the battle began in earnest. Gaiden kept true to his words and made right for Ganon, but somebody decided to make him a liar.

"Sorry Gaiden, but I can't let you fight Ganondorf. I will be the one fighting him. He's my enemy, not yours. " Then Zelda launched a magical fireball at him. He dodged it and growled at her.

"Out of my way woman! You are not my target." He drew his blade and swiped at her.

She jumped over it and launched another fireball. "You won't be getting what you want just because it's what you desire. This tournament is a free-for-all. You are not allowed to pick your opponent. Your opponent picks you."

He ducked as yet another fireball flew for his head. He grinned. "You keep missing. Perhaps you should forgo speed for aim."

Zelda smiled back, and closed her outstretched fist as the magical sphere flew over him. With that movement, it exploded, sending the demon boy flying. He recovered and gritted his teeth. "You can detonate them at will...then why didn't you do that to begin with?" The demon smiled as it came to him. "You were lulling me into a false sense of security. You're more devious than you appear, princess."

Ganondorf was busy with Kirby, attempting to stomp the spherical fighter into the dirt. He had appeared a fair distance away from Gaiden, on the far right. Zelda was on the left, with that stupid boy. Ganondorf rolled out of the way as Kirby made to flatten him, turning into a pink brick. He reached out and leaned down, grabbing the star warrior with both hands. An electrical discharge of purple magic erupted around the pink fighter, then exploded. Kirby flew up into the air, eyes scrunched up in pain. Ganon jumped above him and thrust both his feet down, sending the pink ball plummeting to earth. Kirby stood up and glared at the descending warlock. "Payoo!"

Master Hand gave a quick rundown of the brawl for the viewers. "Each fighter has 3 stocks and there will be no items beside the smash ball. There will, however, be a little surprise for this tournament!"

Flair cocked her head, curious. "What could he be talking about? A surprise?"

Zelda kicked Gaiden across the face, not doing much damage, but it did hurt his pride. Gaiden rolled with it and ended up kneeling in front of her, his sword erupting in flames. "You're not taking me seriously." He looked up, staring into her wide eyes. Then the flaming blade flew upwards. She screamed a bit as it hit her, but quickly reacted. She launched herself down, one foot pointing towards him. The boy threw up his arm to block the aerial attack and sighed as they connected. "That didn't do much damage."

Then electricity coursed down her foot and into his body. Gaiden gritted his teeth and pushed away. "Damn. That hurt more than I expected."

Zelda grinned, tossing a lock of hair. "Don't underestimate me Gaiden. Magic can overcome brute strength. If applied correctly."

Gaiden scowled back. "Is that so? Let's put that theory to the test." he ran towards her, the flames around his sword growing with intensity.

Zelda's face become more serious and she quickly fired a ball of concentrated magic in his direction. She gasped as he swung his sword, obliterating her attack. He disappeared and then appeared behind her, sword outstreched. Zelda was launched into the air, surprised by his speed. Gaiden turned around and jumped after her, kicking even higher. To her horror, he fazed out and back above her, sword held above his head. "I'm not just power, I'm also speed but power is enough for the likes of you!" Then she was flung down, bouncing off the castle floor and landing on the little building near the edge.

The princess slowly stood up, groaning in pain. "That's no way to talk to a princess you little demon child."

Gaiden jumped in front of her, his fist glowing with flames. "And that's no way to talk to a prince." He didn't like to pull that card, but the it seemed suitable for a response. Then his hand connected with her chest, sending her flying into space. A large explosion followed her departure.

Ganondorf kicked forwards, magical energy giving his attack more strength. His target quickly turned into a rock, minimizing the damage. Kirby changed back as soon as the warlock lowered his leg and swung forward, a wooden hammer in his stubby arms. "Puyah!"

Gaiden again made for his original target, only to be stopped by a fully refreshed Zelda. "You surprised me, I have to admit it. Though now I've felt your power firsthand." She waved her arms around herself, becoming shrouded in a cocoon of magic.

Not really sure what to expect, the pale youth waited. _What is she doing? I don't sense an attack...yet._ As the magic barrier faded, his eyes widened. "What?"

The fighter before him was not his previous opponent. This smasher had blue tights, bandages covering his(or her?) face and only revealed a blonde tuft of hair and a pair of eyes. There was also a ponytail, braided. Gaiden noted the relaxed stance the fighter held, obviously comfortable with physical confrontations. "Who are you?" the demon asked. His answers was a rapid volley of kicks, of which he blocked with an upraised arm. If he hadn't been so cautious then his head would have been hit instead.

Gaiden growled and shot forward, his fist catching flames again. The new fighter nimbly jumped over his attack, striking him in the back of the head as he did so. Gaiden whirled around, sword fending off another attack. "Answer me! Did you switch places with Zelda or are you some type of apparition that fights in her stead?"

His attacker slid back, low to the ground like a panther. Then he drew his hand behind his back, a couple of clicks reaching his ears. Sure that some type of attack was coming his way, Gaiden ran forward, hoping to force his opponent on the defensive. Then the blonde fighters arm flew out, half a dozen small objects leaving it. Gaiden threw his arms over his face, grunting as sharp pain registered around his arms and shoulders. He jumped into the air as he ran, kicking the man in the chest. A rather feminine grunt left his covered lips, making Gaiden think that it was possibly a female.

Lowering his arms, Gaiden found the source of pain. "What kind of fighter uses needles as their weapon?" Pulling them out quickly, he smirked. "Though I guess I shouldn't expect much more...from a woman." The girls eyes widened in shock, but returned to normal just as fast, confirming his hunch. "Perhaps not just any woman. You're Zelda aren't you?"

He received a brief answer. "So what if I am? That won't help you." Then a long chain flew forward wrapping around his waist and pinning his sword arm against his side. He had a second to curse and then was dragged towards her, a powerful kick smashing against his face.

Gaiden jumped off his back on to his feet and dodged another kick, then a flurry of punches. A tug on the chain made him stumble towards her, a uppercut heading for his chin. He reacted instantly, doing a back flip and then smoke stepping behind her. He continued appearing behind and in front of her until she was in the same situation, both of them wrapped in her chain. "Idiot! Now we're both trapped!" she growled, attempting to head butt him.

Gaiden leaned back, avoiding it and smoke stepped towards the edge. The experience of traveling that way left Zelda/Sheik slightly dazed, unused to moving like that. "What are you-" then she caught his meaning as they began to teeter on the edge of the stage. "Oh."

He glared at her as she understood his intentions. "Free me from this chain or we go off. Now."

Just as Sheik was about to comply, a third party decided to make the decision for the both of them. "How lovely. Zelda and Gaiden, all trussed up and so tantalizingly close to the edge."

Gaiden was facing away from the rest of the stage but knew who the man behind him was. There were only two fighters besides themselves and he was pretty sure Kirby didn't sound like that. Zelda shouted as Ganondorf prepared to punch them both into oblivion. Then she was hit with an uneasy feeling as they disappeared narrowly avoiding losing another stock. While the warlock stumbled, missing his target, Gaiden shouted to his partner in chains. "Now, kick him while he's off balanced!" She nodded and together they jumped toward his unguarded back, two pairs of feet kicking him off the edge. The combined strength was sufficient enough to send him straight out of the stage, a yell of outrage leaving his lips.

She smiled beneath her cloth headgear, feeling a sense of camaraderie for a split second. Always the one to ruin the mood, Gaiden responded. "What the hell are you grinning at? Free us so I can fight without be handicapped with such a weakling! That pink ball must be back by now and Ganondorf won't be far behind!" He snapped impatiently.

Mood successfully ruined. "Just one moment, I have to-RUN!" she took off, longs legs lifting Gaiden off the ground, bouncing around like a rag doll.

"What does running have to do with getting out of this-uh?" He was in the middle of retorting when he noticed what they were running from. "The pink beach ball?"

"Payoo!" the little star warrior looked happy to see them, mouth opened unnaturally wide.

Gaiden glanced back at his "partner". "Do explain why we are running from a giant pink marshmallow with legs?" _If anything, I'd say he wants to hug us. Though I still object to that.__  
_

She yelled back in between breaths. "Isn't it...obvious? He wants...to...eat us!"

Gaiden stared back at the pursuing fluff ball, for once, dumbfounded. "Perhaps I misheard you. Did you say he wants to consume us?"

Zelda scoffed, jumping onto a platform and making her way back to the other side of the stage. Ganondorf, appeared above her, apparently taking his time phasing in. By the way he was laughing she'd say he was enjoying this. "Of course! That's Kirby's power you idiot! If he eats us then he'll gain our power temporarily, using them against us."

_This creature is far more merciless than I gave it credit for. Devouring ones enemy and gaining it's power...it's a demon in its own right._ "How does it use our powers against us if it eats us? That doesn't make any sense...unless he..."

The Hyrulian nodded. "Yeah, he pukes us back out."

"...Oh joy."

Zelda allowed herself a grin but it quickly vanished as Ganondorf landed in front of them. "Though I'm not about to start an alliance with such a creature, I must admit that I'm curious as to what will happen when Kirby gains the powers of _two_ smashers." He brought his fist back, purple magic coating it. "Soups up." Then they were flung towards the ravenous Kirby, who opened his mouth even wider, not even air escaping his vacuum like maw.

Gaiden was...uncomfortable, to say the least. Being inside Kirby was just what you would expect. His body didn't leave much to the imagination. Pink, slimy, and cramped. Not to mention just plain disgusting. Sheik began to kick, shouting at Gaiden to do the same. "There are two of us, we could probably bust out before he absorbs our powers." She looked over at the silent demon, who had his eye's closed, a vein bulging on his forehead. "Gaiden?"

"I REFUSE TO BE DEVOURED BY SUCH A RIDICULOUS, FLAMBOYANT, PINK BEACH BALL OF RUBBER!" He roared, breaking the chain that held them together as he did so. Sheik's eye's widened in fright as purple and black flames coated the boy and in turn, filled the small cavity that they were currently trapped in.

Kirby's body stretched to it's limit, forcing him to...eject his dinner. The two fighters were flung towards Ganondorf, who didn't have time to dodge, gasped in surprise as all three fighters became a tangled ball of bodies, sliding right off the edge. The now regular sized Kirby jumped after them, not wanting to miss the fun. Opening his mouth as they fell, he set a personal record by fitting three smashers into his mouth. Not only did this make him immensely happy, but it also prevented the fighters from recovering, and so all four fell out of the stage. A rather larger explosion signaled their exit. As the smashers screamed the frustration, one voice rang out loudest. "NOT AGAIN!"

The spectators cheered, this first brawl meeting their expectations. "So now Ganondorf, Zelda, and Kirby are at only one stock. Gaiden, the newcomer, still has two. This is certainly setting the standard for the tournament!" Master Hand spoke out, keeping people updated.

Flair couldn't help but laugh as she heard Gaiden yell. "You should have listened to me Gaiden, then you might not have ended up as Kirby's lunch!" She took a second to think about that. "Then again, I wouldn't mind seeing what Kirby looks like after eating him."

All the fighters appeared back above the castle, all glaring at Kirby. He simply waved back happily. "Payoo!"

Having been knocked out of the stage by such a creature, Gaiden immediately went for Kirby. "You're going to pay for that." he said calmly, hiding his anger and shame.

While he did so, Ganondorf attacked Zelda. She had reverted back to her normal form, intent on beating Ganon with her own magic. "Why did you stop that runt from attacking me Zelda? Perhaps you have feelings for him...or for me?" he grinned, taunting her.

A beam of hellfire flew towards Kirby, who simply flattened himself, avoiding the blast altogether. He rolled forwad and jumped into the air, placing his feet together to perform a drill kick. Gaiden spun around, kicking the pink fighter away. Then the demon ran towards his foe, fist erupting in dark fire. "Oni Punch!" his attack closed in on Kirby's face(which was pretty much his whole body) but didn't connect. Instead, Gaiden was sucked into the star warriors mouth, outraged.

With a quick burp, Gaiden was ejected. "I think it's about time to shut that mouth of yours." he glared at Kirby, only to find himself glaring back. Well, not excatly himself. More of a shorter(ha), pinker, and rounder form of him. The hair was there and so was his cape...and his sword? "You made a copy of my blade?"

The shorter fighter nodded, laughing as he did so. He was happy to answer Gaiden's question even though they were fighting. "Payoo!"

Gaiden charged his sword up and fire another blast of hellfire. "I don't know what your saying but I'll just assume that's a yes."

Kirby looked at the approaching flame in wonder. _Pretty._ The he raised his new weapon and fired a mirror image of the attack. His face was determined, mouth set in a frown.

The teenager's eyes widened in surprise. _She wasn't lying. That thing is using my own powers against me!_ The two pillars of hellish energy collided, struggling for dominance.

Zelda gasped as Ganon held her by her throat, purple energy beginning to charge. "Hah!" he yelled as she was blasted in the air.

She landed on her feet, ready for round two, when she saw the smash ball fall in front of her. Both fighters stared at it for a second before looking back at each other. "That could help me win this match...mine!" Ganondorf said under his breath, rushing for the shiny sphere. Zelda ran for it as well, not sure who she should aim for if she got the chance. _I could possibly take out both Kirby and Gaiden with one attack but Ganon is my enemy. What should I do?_ As luck would have it, she reached the smash ball first. As she felt the power rush through her she groaned. "Seems like I have to decide."

She made a split second decision, feeling that Gaiden was the bigger threat. _He still has two stocks and hasn't taken much damage from Kirby yet...best to take them both out while they are distracted!_ Ganondorf heaved a sigh of relief as Zelda quickly spun around, dress swinging. A large bow of light appearing in her hands, arrow nocked. "I knew you were a smart girl."

She would have liked nothing more than to loose this arrow on Ganon, but she'd already made up her mind. "Light Arrow!" By the time she said that, the arrow had already blasted towards Kirby and Gaiden, a literal firestorm inbetween them.

Kirby yelled out loud as the arrow passed through him, making it's way toward Gaiden. He saw it coming, a beam of light racing for his heart. _That attack is to fast for me to dodge...ah well, at least I'll see how strong it is._ As it passed through his chest, he saw where it had originated from. _I wouldn't have thought that Zelda had that kind of power._ Then his pink clone and himself were launched from the stage.

"Kirby has lost his last stock and Gaiden is now even with the others, one stock remaining!" The hand god yelled. "Oh! And it seems that Ganondorf has taken advantage of Zelda's back!"

Zelda struggled to break free from Ganondorf's iron grip, feet dangling above the ground. "Now it's time for you to fall as well, Princess Zelda." He cackled energy building in his palm.

She glared at him, knowing that she was now done. She'd taken to much damage already. Then she saw Gaiden walking towards them, calmly regarding the scene before him. "You! I won't forgive you if you allow Ganondorf to win, understand!? Don't let him win!"

Gaiden scoffed at her, waving her plea off. "I don't plan on letting him win but don't think that I'd do it by your order. You're in no position to be doing such a thing."

She grinned, purple energy expanding around her. "Just win. Then I'll just pretend that you listened to me."

Ganondorf gritted his teeth impatiently. "Both of you shut up. Begone!" He clenched his fist, blasting Zelda away in an explosion of magic. Turning around slowly, he grinned at the calm boy. "Now that those irritations are out of the way, let's say you show me what you can do?"

Gaiden drew his sword, staring into his taller enemies eyes. "I was about to say the same thing."

Ganondorf's fist glew with magic as he settled into his combat stance. "Besides our height differences, I'd say we match each other quite nicely."

The pale youth's eyes danced with flames as he frowned, back flames encircling his body as he crouched into his own pose. "Just wait until I cut you down to size. Then you'll see just how different we are."

The two fighters ran towards each other, eager to test their skills. Magic against fire. Who will prevail?

**Yeah, I did that. Go ahead and rave at me in your reviews, it's okay. I was just thinking that I hadn't left you guys on a cliffhanger in a while and that this would be the perfect situation for it. This chapter was somewhat difficult to write, switching from inbetween four different people. I hope your not to mad to read the next chapter, which will probably be up sometime tommorrow or the day after that. I know what I'm going to do but just don't have the time today and work tommorrow. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Who will win this battle and what surprise was Master Hand mentioning? You'll have to wait until next chapter! R&R and please don't hate me! Later viewers!**


	24. Chapter 24: Been to Hell

**I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. My own computer has not been working so I've had to resort to the libraries again. Not to mention that I've been working for weeks so again I apologize for my absence. Hopefully this new chapter will atone for it. I'll try to get back to updating but I've also got to work on half a chapter for Ruby1996's story SSBB: A New Tournament. I'm his co-writer and have a few things to do where that's concerned. Then I've got to work on my new story, The Gijinka Event. I don't believe that I will be accepting anymore main team OC's and hope to get started on it. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 24: Been to Hell

The two foes collided, Gaiden's sword landing on his opponents upstretch arm. Ganon's other arm came from below for an uppercut. Gaiden quickly kicked back, avoiding the blow. A blast of hellfire made for Ganon, preventing him from following up. The warlock threw his arms up to block the brunt of the damage. "That the best you got?" he grinned, lowering his arms. His expression quickly turned into a scowl.

Gaiden had used that blast as a distraction to charge his sword up. Right now the fire surrounding the blade was roughly the same size of him. Not it's full strength by any means but more than enough to do some damage. The fiery blade swung towards Ganon, who had to quickly duck and roll to avoid it. He roared as the blade came from behind him, flinging him away. "No and neither was that. You are at a disadvantage." A cold voice rang out.

Ganondorf stood up, raising his fists. "Disadvantage? You're talking nonsense! I would gauge that our strengths were close enough to make this a fair fight."

Gaiden nodded, the fire from his sword dissapating. "Our strengths are close, though mine is obviously superior. But that's not what I meant."

The armored man laughed. "How dare you consider yourself superior to me. I've caused more chaos than you'll ever be able to! You admit that we are near equal in power so why would you risk annoying me?"

"I haven't even begun to cause chaos Ganondorf. The disadvantage that I was talking about was your speed, or rather, your lack thereof. Even if you had more power than me, the difference between the speed in which we can move is to great an obstacle for you to overcome. Give up now and spare yourself the embarrassment that inevitably comes with defeat." Gaiden spat out, glaring at the taller fighter.

_How dare he! Who does he think he is, antagonzing me!? _ "You insolent brat! I have more experience than you could ever hope to gain! I have plagued an entire world with my existence! I have overcome death!" He was visibly trembling with rage, ready to begin their battle in earnest.

Gaiden allowed himself a small smile. "Overcome death? That's certainly something to brag about. Tell me Ganondorf, have you ever truly been to hell? For if you overcame death then you should have certainly visited it, if only for a brief moment."

The warlock shook his head. "Does it matter? If I had then I would have conquered it and brung it's armies with me to rule the world. So to answer you're question no, I have not been to hell."

Now Gaiden did something that both shocked and terrified Ganondorf. He laughed. It started off as a soft chuckle but soon elevated into a full blown laugh, Gaiden tilting his head back as he expressed his amusement. Calming himself, Gaiden grinned at the startled warlock. "Conquer hell? What utter nonsense. You have not expierenced death if you have not in turn expierenced hell. I think it's time to remedy that." Gaiden once again turned serious, his sword reigniting itself.

Ganon was about to retailitate but stopped, confused. "What could you possibly mean by that?" Then realization dawned. _Samael had opened a portal to hell. Could Gaiden-!?_ "You're not serious!?"

Gaiden's sword seemed to stab the air and then he slowly slid it down, a rip opening in front of him. It was like a wound in the air, dancing with violet flames. Then it seemed to rupture, baring the terror for all to see. "Welcome to hell." Gaiden said softly the quickly glanced up, appearing in front of Ganon. Before he could react to his presence, Gaiden grabbed him and threw him through the gate. "Conquer it if you can." With a swipe of his sword the gate closed.

The people watching the battle sat in silence, not sure if what just happened _really_ just happened. Flair opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Taking a breath, she finally found her voice. "Did-did he just send Ganondorf to hell?"

Gaiden sheathed his blade and stared up at the cameras that were winking at him like stars. "Since Ganondorf is no longer with us then can I assume that we're done here?"

Maste Hand quickly shook himself from his trance. "Excuse me? I don't believe I gave you permission to throw one of our smashers into another world! Bring him back right now!"

Gaiden scoffed. "Of course you didn't but you didn't say I couldn't either. I don't feel like wasting my time with him so I disposed of his presence. Let him find his own way back."

More than a few of the smashers were inclined to agree with Gaiden, which was a rare occassion. Since there was obviously no way that they could force Gaiden to bring him back, there really wasn't much choice but to announce him the winner. "Fine. The winner of first round is-wait, what's that?" Master Hand's announcement was cut short as what looked like another hellgate was opening.

Gaiden turned around, more than surprised. The gate slowly opened and out stepped Ganon. Saying he was worse for wear was a bit of an understatement. His armor was burnt and covered in scrathes. Gaiden took in his state and closed his eyes to hide his mirth. "What happened to you Ganondorf? You look like you've been through hell, oh wait, you have. Since that's the case don't bother answering."

The warlock glared at him. "You. You threw me into hell."

Gaiden nodded. "Of course I did. Wasn't it obvious or did you just figure that out?"

The warlock began to glow with magical energy. "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!" He jumped forward with surprising speed, slamming Gaiden across the face with his fist. "I'll make sure that you pay for every damn second that I spent there!" Grabbing the boy by his cloak he dragged him back, planting a energy infused kick into his stomach. The demon child flew through the air but stabbed his sword into the ground to prevent him from flying off the stage. Spinning around the hilt, he flew back at Ganondorf, leaving his sword behind. His own fist smacked into Ganondorf's stomach, holding him there as the Warlock gasped for breath. Gaiden used his other hand to wipe the blood from his cheek.

"I hope those aren't just empty words. Otherwise this won't be half as satasfying." The fist that was firmly planted in Ganon's gut began to glow with flames, circling around as it built in power. "Let's see how you deal with a full power Oni Punch?" He slowly drew his fist back, the flames growing ever larger. Then he quickly shifted his weight forward, his fist following suit as he did so. "Oni Punch." He said queitly, his voice unheard as the flames exploded.

Ganon became a screaming fireball as the punch connected, similiar to a rocket jet when it takes off. Only now did Gaiden let him drop to the ground, smoke streaming off him. "You should have given up at the beginning."

Walking back to his blade, Gaiden wrenched it out of the ground. "I guess I have no choice but to blast you off the edge. Unless you'd rather save me the trouble and jump off?"

Ganondorf stood up, shaking the smoke off his body. Gaiden raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you can still stand. At least you can accept your defeat with dignity then." He raised his sword, the cold steel erupting in hot flames.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth. "I will never accept defeat! I am Ganondorf and you are devil spawn!"

Gaiden's normally hard gaze grew harder. "Don't accept defeat then. I can just send you back to hell the hard way."

As he readied to launch his attack, two objects caught his eye. "What?"

Ganondorf quickly followed his gaze and grinned. Falling towards them were _two_ smash balls. "This must have been the new twist that Master Hand was talking about. Multiple smash balls." _If I can manage to get one then this match will be mine! Gaiden still only has one stock!_

Gaiden seemed to be thinking along different lines. "I wonder what kind of power two of those things would grant you. Maybe you'd be worth my time then."

Ganondorf wasted no time in putting that theory to the test. When Gaiden made no move towards the smash balls, the warlock crushed one of the glittering spheres in his palm. "So you'll just let me find out? How very gracious of you." Stepping towards the remaining smash ball, Ganon grabbed it inbetween his hands. "Give me your power!" he screamed and then went to crush it...only to have it stubbornly stay solid. "What? How come I can't destroy it?"

Master Hand's voice came onto speakers. "Becuase you can still only use one. One smash ball unlocks as much power that you can possibly hold. Using two isn't just unnecessary it's impossible. The point of having multiple smash balls appear is to give game changing power to more than just one smasher. Have fun with those balls!" The last sentence was given by Crazy Hand, who had successfully gained control of the microphone for a few seconds.

Ganondorf's smile cracked a bit. "Surely you'd rather test your limits against my Final Smash, wouldn't you Gaiden?"

The boy looked at him thoughtfully, then motioned for him to continue. "Explain, if you will."

The warlock's grin grew even larger. "My final smash involves me transforming into a beast, much like yours. If you also used your final smash then we be no different than were we started. Though your speed would probably drop, you'd still have the advantage of mobility because of your demon forms wings."

Flair's eyes widened in horror was what Ganon was trying to do became obivous. "He's playing on the fact that Gaiden wants a challenge. He knows what his form is capable of but Gaiden has no idea what he's in for!" She tried to pull a Crazy Hand and grab the mic but was easily stopped by Master Hand.

"I'm sorry Flair but you can't interfere. Tournament rules." He said apologetically.

After hearing this challenge, Gaiden made his decision. "I agree. This sounds similiar to Bowser's Final Smash and I dealt with his easily. So long as yours doesn't prove as dissapointing, I will refrain from using this extra smash ball."

"Splendid." Ganondorf began to laugh, the power of his final smash activating. "I'll make sure to meet your expectations, boy!"

Ganon fell to his knees and began to grow. His skin became dark grey and great, long tusks sprouted from his now monstrous face. A mane of read fur swept down his back and a tail of the same material came into existence(would rather not go into detail from where). The fully transformed Beast Ganon beat the ground with it's large hoofs, roaring at the demon hybrid.

Gaiden stared calmly at the beat before him. "You certainly seem stronger. Then again, looks could be decieving." Raising his blade, he fired a gout of hellfire into the beast's face. The flames coated it but quickly faded away, leaving no trace of damage. Gaiden's eyes widened in shock. "My attack didn't even singe him!"

The giant boarlike creature chuckled. Ganon's voice rang through the air, speaking with thought, much like a demon. "_That tickled. Guess it's my turn._" He jumped at the boy with frightening speed, his forehead slamming into Gaiden.

Gaiden bounced off the ground and quickly stood up. He stumbled as he did so. "That was a pretty strong hit. If I had to guess, I'd say that your strength has increased tenfold, at least." He grinned. "I'll have to be careful."

Ganondorf barreled towards him, swinging his head in preperation for an attack. _"GO AHEAD AND TRY, I'LL CRUSH YOU LIKE THE ANT YOU ARE!"_

Gaiden jump into the air, landing on the monsters back. "You have impressive bursts of speed but it makes your direction predictable. Not to mention if leaves little room for you to dodge." He raised his sword above his head, deathly flames winding around it like hands crossing in prayer. With a rush of air the blade ignited, flames towering over his adversary. "You look like a pig to me. I think it's time to skewer you!" He jumped into the air, cloak billowing around him. Gaiden thrust his behemoth blade down, intent of going through with his promise. The point of the flame encased sword struck Ganondorf's back...and went no further.

Gaiden hung in the air, balancing his sword in confusion. "This can't be." He said. "You should be bacon right now."

Ganondorf bucked, throwing the sword off him. "_Young fool. My hide is so thick and covered in raw magic that only the purest of energies could pierce it. Zelda's light arrow would have been useful to you right now, now doubt_."

Gaiden held his sword aloft, the immense of flames still present. "Pure energies? Ridiculous!" He ran forward, swinging the blade at Ganondorf's neck. It connected but still didn't manage to cut through.

The beast took a step forward. _"Do I have to spell it out for you? Your hellfire is useless against me, as are you!" _ He swung his massive head forward, smacking Gaiden away like he was nothing. The fire dissolved into nothing as Gaiden slammed into a castle wall.

Picking himself from the wall, the demon boy tore his cloak off. One of Ganondorf's tusk has narrowly avoided slicing him. "I guess I'll just have to use brute force then." He fazed out and appeared beside Ganon. Taking the sword in two hands, he swung towards the massive body in front of him. It was like cutting steel, not so much as a scratch appeared on the beast's hide.

Ganondorf swung around, but Gaiden quickly jumped over his head_. "If you had some type of holy weapon then maybe you would have a chance to cut me. Now, you might as well put that pathetic toothpick away." _

Gaiden had to admit that he was right. "It seems your new form is quite formidable. Though blunt force trauma should suffice." He thrust his sword back into it's sheath, raising his hands as he did so.

Flair was beginning to get worried. All of Gaiden's advantages were slowly getting cut down, one by one. His hellfire was no use and neither was his prefered weapon, his katana. Beast Ganon certainly had more strentgh so that was also down the toilet. All he had on his side now was speed. "Let's just hope that it's enough." She whispered to herself.

The beast that was Ganon ran forwards, great breaths coming from it. Planting his feet, Gaiden drew back one fist, the other arm raised in defense. Then the monster was upon him. He blocked it's head with his arm but he was still pushed back a good distance by the force of the attack. When they came to a stop, he brought his right hand forward, connecting with the between the beast's eyes.

Ganondorf cringed a bit. "_You've certainly got quite an arm. But mere hands won't be enough to defeat me!" _He swung his head in an attempt to slice Gaiden, but was anticipated. The hybrid ran up his head and jumped off his back. "_Stop running you insect! Face me like a man!" _He turned again, only to have Gaiden repeat the trick. _"You're only delaying the inevtiable!"_

Gaiden stopped in front of him, confidence showing in his black eyes. "You'd think so. But I'm going to guess and say that this transformation won't last forever. When it finally wears off...well, I think you can guess the rest."

Ganondorf cursed inwardly. _He's right. I can't possibly have that much time left in this transformation. I need to surprise him. I need to end this! "I guess you're right Gaiden. But how do you plan on surviving that long?"_

Gaiden sighed. "I thought you were clever. I'm obviously going to-" He was cut off as Ganon leaped forward, taking him by surprise. The distance between them was little and Ganon waited for Gaiden to answer, making the time to react very small. Besides that, Gaiden still managed to avoid being crushed altogether, catching Ganondorf's tusks in both hands. He struggled to push back as Ganon put all his weight down, intent of smashing him.

"Seems you are clever. Not to mention heavy." Gaiden said in between breaths, gritting his teeth.

Ganon roared at him. "You're done for boy! I WIN!" the beast's own muscles rippled, slowly pushing the boy in question to his knees. "NOW I-!" The beast stiffened as something floated between them. The second smash ball.

Gaiden gazed at it. _I might be able to get it. But will I have enough time to transform in this position? _ He shook his head. _Idiot. You're already about to lose, might as well take a chance._ "Damn it!" He yelled, releasing Ganon's tusks and sliding towards the bright sphere. Grabbing it in his arms, he quickly beat on it for all he was worth.

Ganondorf stumbled but realized that Gaiden was still below him. "_FOOL! NOWHERE TO RUN!" _He allowed himself to drop, to crush the person beneath him. Then he was blown into the air on a wave of fire, not harming him but putting some distance between him and the newest monster.

Ganon landed on his back and slowly rolled over. _"Well, that wasn't pleasant." _Then he saw the black dragon in the room. "_I think I remember somthing about him having no control. If I'm smart, I can still win this." _ His hopes were quickly dashed as words entered his head.

_"Who's running? I'd be more than happy to rip you apart." _Gaiden opened his jaws, hellfire blasting out. The stream of black and purple flames was powerful enough to knock Ganondorf back a few steps, but still didn't do any real damage.

_"You'll have to do better than..."_ Ganon stopped his tirade as he was met with the sight of something seen only in nightmares. The pitch black dragon was bounding towards him, teeth and eyes bared in hatred. Those tattered wings swinging behind it very much like Gaiden's own cloak, signaling death. "_Shit."_ Was all he got out before the monster was upon him.

He was knocked away by razor sharp claws, a collection of Gaiden's swords. Then that terrible head butted him under the chin, lifting him off the ground. Falling back to earth with a loud thump, Ganondorf shakily stood to his feet. He got ready to charge, to make a last stand, but quickly changed his mind. His transformation had worn off. "Now-now Gaiden. I think I might want to take you up on that offer you made in the beginning. I'd like to surrender now."

The nightmare beast stalked towards him, eyes narrowed. "_That offer closed long ago, Ganondorf." _It's tail swung behind it contetedly and he could see the beginning of flames building in the monster's throat.

Ganon swallowed the lump in his throat. "I see." Without another word he bolted towards the edge of the stage, most likely to jump off.

Not one to be cheated out of it's prize, Gaiden sprang forward, grabbing Ganon's cape with his jaws. "_Don't be such a coward. This is going to hurt but take comfort in the fact that I can't kill you..yet." _Swinging the warlock into the middle of the stage, he took to the air and glided onto the castle's roof.  
Ganon regained his footing and stared at the dragon as it crawled towards him. When he was less than a foot away he opened his beak-like mouth with a roar. It was what you would expect from a dragon, with a bit of a screech and the crackle of fire melding together. "_Remember this Ganondorf. You will never conquer hell, even if you somehow managed to beat me. There are monsters there that make me look tame. NOW BEGONE!" _Unholy flames came alive from his maw, bringing nothing but death with them. The fire storm consumed Ganon and when they cleared there was nothing left. _"You're lucky you can't _die in these brawls" Gaiden said as he changed back to his normal form midsentence.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. We get to see Gaiden's demon form again but this time he's in control. I had problems writing this chapter. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with and seriously considered leaving Ganondorf in hell for a few chapters. Or maybe just forever. Either way, let me know what you liked and see you later(preferably sooner)! **

**P.S.- Just to let you know Ruby, Ganondorf calling Gaiden an ANT, was a little salute to SSBB: ANT. I had him yell that way it would be captialized correctly. See ya!**


	25. Chapter 25: Brotherly Hate

** Hello guys! I won't apologize for not updating in so long, life loves to kick my ass, but I'll make up for it. This story and one new one that I'll be starting will be the main focus of my writing. The Gijinka Event will just have to wait until I actually want to write it. Same reason as why this hasn't been updated in forever. Even when I had the time, the drive wasn't there and I wasn't about to give you guys another half-assed chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 25: Brotherly Hate

Standing alone on the stage now, Gaiden glared at the camera's winking at him. "The brawl is over, can I leave now or what?" Though not said, the answer was no. He would now be subjected to the thing winners won. Attention.

Being teleported back to the Smash World, he glowered at Master Hand and Crazy, who were holding his shoulders so he didn't run. He really had no wish you talk to these people. They were weak, inquisitive, and not worth his time. Unfortunately, their opinion was quite different. "That was really an incredible battle Mr. Gaiden! Care to let us in on what exactly that transformation was?"

He opened his mouth for his customary retort but was interrupted as Flair ran up beside him, covering his mouth with both of her hands. She smiled at the reporters before turning back to Gaiden, her expression turning fierce. "I don't care that you don't like attention. You're a smasher now and you'll have to act like one. Just answer one question, at least, and then you can leave. That way you'll satisfy some of their curiosity and still leave them wanting more. You don't want to get on the press' bad side, believe me."

Again, Gaiden opened his mouth to state how little he cared but the look in Flair's eyes made him hesitate. Those brown eyes were very close to his own and the message was clear. Do this, or be destroyed. He nodded slowly. "Fine. One question. Then I'm gone."

She smiled good naturally and removed her hands. Only to slide one of them into Gaiden's own. He bristled at the open display of affection, but decided that he'd already made her mad enough. Turning to the reporters, he sighed in defeat. "That transformation is my demon beast form. It makes me much more powerful, though my speed is slightly reduced. I can also take a lot more punishment than I normally could." He wasn't about to let them know that he'd only just recently been able to control it. Now he realized what a formidable enemy these boring people could make. If that fact got out, he'd probably have to kill somebody to get his respect back. Then he'd have to do something to make Flair happy, knowing that killing someone would probably cause her to become angry with him.

He raised his hand to stop any more questions. "That's all for now. I'm tired." What he didn't say was that he was tired of these people. But again, then he'd have problems.

Stepping away with Flair, he quickly walked away from them, causing Flair to have to jog a bit to catch up even though he was shorter than her. It was that or be dragged, since she refused to let go of his hand. "See, that wasn't so bad? You should just listen to me more often." She said happily, ponytail bouncing behind her.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Don't get used to it. I'm just-!" His eyes widened as something appeared behind them. Something that they'd just seen in the last brawl. It was a portal to hell. Reaching for his blade, he flinched, instead shoving Flair into a corresponding hallway. "MOVE!" He yelled.

She yelled back, not yet seeing the gate, and was annoyed that he'd seemingly shoved her for no reason. Seeing him now reach for his blade, he didn't have time as he'd used his second to push Flair to safety. A huge blast of bright green, emerald flames enveloped him, veiling him from her sight. "Gaiden!" She yelled, not understanding what just happened. Instead, she saw a man she'd never seen before step in in front of the hallway.

He was of medium height and was wearing a light brown leather jacket. Under that a white shirt was visible. He wore brown dress pants and had a pair of tan hiking boots under that. His skin was pale, like Gaiden's, and he had fairly long black hair, framing his handsome face and splayed out above his shoulders. He spare her a glance, during which she saw bright green eyes, then turned his attention back to Gaiden, who'd been blasted from her sight. The face looked familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before.

"That was a foolish mistake brother. Better to let the human burn and escape than take the full blast yourself." He pulled a long, sharp katana from the sheath that rested on his back. It was a beautiful weapon. The sheath itself was a pale, dull green and the color was mirrored on the swords hilt. The cross guard was silver in color and she could barely make out that it was made from two curling wings, not touching each other, but close enough to make the piece circular in shape. It was altogether a more stylish weapon than the simple one Gaiden carried.

Then the words the stranger spoke hit home. "Brother?"

Letting the blade trail along the ground, sparks kicking up, the young man flicked his hair out of his face, green embers leaving his fingertips. "But what else could I expect from a filthy half-breed like yourself? That's the human in you acting. A true demon cares only for himself and his power." Stepping up to the rising figure of Gaiden, he kept his blade pointed down. "You really think I wouldn't notice you opening a portal? More foolishness on your part, Gaiden."

The smaller boy stood up, eyes locked on the other's in hatred. Truthfully, he didn't even know that it was possible to sense something like that. Anytime Samael had opened a gate, there'd never been any unwelcome visitors. But he wasn't about to admit his ignorance. Not to this man. "Did you come here to fight me or not Bub?" He said, saying the words carefully. He was aware that his father wanted him alive, though he wouldn't go through any trouble to insure that. He knew that, in turn, Bub wanted him dead. He was a threat to the throne and demon's dealt with threats in only one way. They erased them.

Bub nodded, seemingly calm but his finger beating at tattoo on his sword hilt. "Obviously. But I just wanted to thank you before doing so. Now that the hellhound is out of the way, my thanks, no one will be able to stop me from killing you." His face turned hard, his grip on the sword becoming just as solid. "A dirty hybrid has no place near the throne. That seat is for me and me alone. And I will eliminate all who stand in my way." His sword blade erupted in green flames, burning like his now apparent anger.

Gaiden quickly drew his own, smaller blade. He glared back at his brother, teeth bared. "I don't want the damn throne! How many times do I have to say that?" Gaiden's own sword burned brightly with his familiar purple and black flames, showing Flair just how similar these two brothers were.

Bub glowered down at him. "I don't care if you want it or not. I refuse to believe that you will sit silently by while I claim the throne. The only way you'll remain silent is if I make it so! Now die, brother!" He swung his sword in a downward stroke, sparks flying as the Gaiden blocked the larger weapon with his own.

Flair went stop the two boys from fighting, but Gaiden saw her coming. He turned away from his brother, struggling to keep the blade up. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? GET OUT OF HERE!"

Taking the distraction, Bub spun Gaiden's blade to the side and sent him flying with a kick to the face. Turning towards the defenseless girl, he sneered. "What foolishness. Both of you!" He flung his sword in Gaiden's direction, sending the boy further flying with a blast of hellfire.

As if remembering that she was here, Bub turned towards the unmoving girl. He raised an eyebrow. "You humans really are weak creatures. You don't even know when to run away. Suddenly, his hand was on her throat and his mouth was by her ear. "You think I won't kill you, just because you're an innocent bystander? Everything in this world is beneath me. You're no exception, gaining a false sense of security just because this pathetic bastard protects you." He held her at arm's length, regarding her with an amused expression. She was vainly holding onto his hand, to stop herself from choking to death. "You're struggles are futile. I could snap your neck with the twitch of a finger and there wouldn't be a damn thing you're demon boy could do about it. Beg for mercy and maybe I'll do just that, it'll be quick and painless."

She glared at him over her hands, and gathered her breath. "Go…to hell!" She yelled weakly, to which his eyes narrowed.

"That's not begging. I'll make sure this hurts." He raised his sword and her eyes widened in fear. Then he prepared to slash down, but his arm was grabbed from behind.

Gaiden was breathing heavily, his sword still in his hand. "I was about to say the same thing." His smaller sword darted toward the taller boy, aiming for his heart. There was no room to dodge. But he underestimated the speed with which his brother could move.

Bub smirked and disappeared in smoke, re-appearing at the end of the hallway. He glanced to his side and saw the demon's he'd brought with him keeping the smashers busy. There were even some greater demon's among them, which could definitely cause some problems. _Good, now there'll be no interruptions. _He looked back at Gaiden, who was kneeling beside Flair. She was holding her throat gently, struggling to get her breath back. "Why do you protect the weak? You should focus more on yourself…you'll live longer."

Gaiden stood up and stepped in front of Flair. "Why do you pick on the weak?" Then his eyes erupted in flames and he blasted towards his brother. Hate flowing from his sword and eyes. "You'll die sooner!"

Bub blocked the blow with contemptuous ease, striking back with a ring of steel. "You? Kill me? That's laughable!" He pushed the offensive, his sword dancing in a deadly pattern, matched step for step by Gaiden.

Gaiden gritted his teeth as he blocked his brother's superior strikes. He needed to take this fight somewhere else, otherwise Bub might try to go for Flair again. He wasn't really interested in her, Gaiden knew that, but he'd kill her if he got the chance. He'd already almost done just that and it had caused Gaiden's blood to run cold as he saw that steel blade heading for Flair's defenseless face. Roaring in rage, he allowed more power to seep into his blade, pushing his brother back.

He attacked with nothing on his mind but getting his brother as far away from this place as possible. The taller boy gave ground, eye's alight with malice as Gaiden's attack forced him on the defensive. "You've definitely improved…but it's still not enough!" Locking their hilts, he brought his other hand above his head, green hellfire coming to life in his palm. "Know you're place!" He brought it forward, creating an explosion of fire that sent Gaiden crashing through walls. Phasing out, he followed his brother through the mansion.

Fortunately, one of the smashers had made his way through the battle raging in the room. They were fighting twice as hard, since they had to protect the innocent people who had no means of protecting themselves. He saw Flair laying on the floor and calmly walked over to her. "Where is Gaiden?"

Flair looked up and saw a tall man. He had blue hair and a green bandana keeping it out of his eyes. "Ike!" She said, with some surprise. Then again, she should've expected him to make it through that blood bath.

He nodded. "Yeah, that's my name. Now please tell me where Gaiden went. I'd rather like to meet that friend of his that I saw before some stupid demons got in my way." He seemed quite at ease, as if he hadn't been fighting his way through a horde of otherworldly monsters.

She pointed at the hole in the wall, thinking that Gaiden would need the help. From what she saw, he'd been having trouble with his brother. Looking at the wall, Ike smirked. "Of course. Guess that was rather obvious. Well, see ya! I'm gonna go see if I can introduce myself to this guy. Did you catch his name?"

She nodded. "His name's Bub."

Ike nodded and began to step through the wall. "Thanks. Now I won't have to waste time with introductions."

Flair stared at him. _This guy's nuts! _"One more thing Ike!" He rolled his head over onto his shoulder, obviously wanting to get moving. "He's Gaiden's brother. From what he said, he wants to kill him."

Ike sighed. "Thanks for that useless information. I could've figured that out myself." His expression became thoughtful as he considered the name. "His brother's name is Bub? I'm gonna have to ask him that when I meet him. That's honestly kind of lame." With that, he ran through the walls, Ragnell in his hands.

Flair went and sat against the wall, her energy drained from her encounter with Bub. _I just hope nobody gets hurt._ She frowned and shook her head. _Scratch that. I hope Bub gets hurt a lot. _

**Not bad, I guess. Gaiden has a brother. I'd planned on that for a while now, since I started this story, but wasn't sure when or where to bring him in. I knew that he'd have to be Gaiden's rival in this story, since he hasn't had a real one to speak of. You guys will just have to wait until chapter 26 for the rest of the fight. And yes, I really just wanted to get the smasher out of the way. Hence the demon fodder. Thanks for your patience and feel free to hurl abuse at me. I deserve it. Let me know what you think of this development!**


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